Mexico Will Ban GMO Corn by 2024

Among this week’s top stories, Víctor Suárez, Under Secretary, SADER, reported that the ban on transgenic corn by 2024 is still on the table. Meanwhile, the Israeli company Netafim began operations at Mexico’s largest agricultural plastic recycling plant in Culiacan, Sinaloa.

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SADER Undersecretary Says GMO Corn Ban Is Still Going Strong

Víctor Suárez, Undersecretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the ban on transgenic corn by 2024 is still on the table and that Mexico is looking into cutting imports of yellow corn from the US by half, choosing to increase national production instead. In addition, Suarez said that Mexico is considering agreements with farmers in the US, Argentina and Brazil to secure imports of non-GM yellow corn in order to compensate for the remaining production gap. Supporters of the GMO ban claim that transgenic seeds endanger Mexico’s ancestral native corn varieties and point out the adverse effects of glyphosate on the environment and the health of farmers. However, US agricultural groups have publicly called on their government to challenge Mexico’s decree under the USMCA agreement, warning of economic damage to both countries

Netafim Opens Agricultural Recycling Plant in Culiacan

On October 26, Netafim began operations at Mexico’s largest agricultural plastic recycling plant located in Culiacan, Sinaloa. The plant has an initial capacity to recycle more than 3,000t/y of plastic and will benefit farmers from Baja California, Sonora, Sinaloa and Chihuahua. John Farner, Sustainability Director, Netafim, explained the recycling plant covers an area of 40,000m2. It will be powered by a photovoltaic solar system, including a processed water recirculation system and a laboratory to ensure that the recycled pellets meet high-quality standards.

Why Crickets Are Better for the Environment Than Animal Protein

Crick Superfoods is an Ecuadorian startup that is using Gryllus assimilis, cricket protein powder, as a raw material for sea salt and chili tortilla chips. For every 100 grams of beef meat, around 2,500 gallons of water are used from the nurturing period to slaughter, instead, the breeding of insects like crickets in indoor vertical farms uses only 2 gallons of water for the production of 100 grams. Cricket protein also contains three times more protein and five times more magnesium than beef and has as much iron as spinach and twice as much calcium as cow's milk.

UGREJ Warns for Sanitary Risks in Food Imports

The Regional Livestock Union of the State of Jalisco (UGREJ) warned that tariff exemptions imposed by the federal government as part of the Inflation and Famine Package (PACIC) could risk the national production of animal-derived products such as pork, beef, chicken, milk and eggs.