Mexico Cancels Outdated Biotech Regulations

Mexico's Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development, Fishery and Food announced the cancellation of an outdated biotech regulation (NOM-056-FITO-1995) which had established the phytosanitary requirements for the importation, domestic shipment and establishment of field trials of GMOs in the country. Among the important features of this regulation was the need to obtain a phytosanitary certificate for the release into the environment of transgenic products. The regulation also stated that the interstate movement of these materials required notification to the Mexican General Office of Plant Health. The cancellation of the regulation took effect on June 23, 2009.

The Secretariat stated that NOM-056 is no longer needed due to more recent publication of the Biosafety Law of Genetically Modified Organisms.

The USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) report is available for download at http://gain.fas.usda.gov/Recent%20GAIN%20Publications/Mexico%20Cancels%20Outdated%20Biotech%20Regulation_Mexico_Mexico_6-23-2009.pdf