Imported corn feeds Brazil’s biosafety debate

Brazil

Disagreement over transgenic agriculture has intensified in Brazil following a government decision this month to authorize the importation of 38 metric tons of genetically modified corn from Argentina. Technically, Brazil does not allow transgenic produce to be imported or grown here commercially. But officials say the Argentine corn, to be used as feed for chickens and pigs, was needed to supplement a drought-depressed corn harvest in northeast Brazil. The move marks the first legal sale of genetically altered produce in Brazil, and it comes amid debate about whether farmers here should be allowed to plant their own transgenic crops. Though the sale of transgenic seed in Brazil remains illegal pending an ongoing federal court battle, some farmers have been growing genetically altered soy smuggled... [Log in to read more]

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