The reform promoted by President Claudia Sheinbaum, which prohibits the cultivation of transgenic corn and protects native varieties of the grain native to Mexico, was published in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF in Spanish).
The document that makes official the reforms to articles 4° and 27 of the Constitution, regarding the conservation and protection of native corn, will enter into force on Tuesday, March 17.
The addition to article 4° specifies that the cultivation of corn “in the national territory must be free of genetic modifications produced with techniques that overcome the natural barriers of reproduction or recombination, such as transgenics. Any other use of genetically modified corn must be evaluated under the terms of the legal provisions to be free from threats to biosafety, health and the biocultural heritage of Mexico and its population.
Article 27 specifies that the State “will promote the conditions for rural, cultural, economic and health development, with the purpose of generating employment and guaranteeing the wellbeing of the peasant population and their participation and incorporation in national development, will promote agricultural and forestry activities, traditional crops with native seeds, especially the milpa system, for the optimal use of land free of genetically modified corn crops”.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo announced that in February 2025, Congress will legislate on the prohibition of planting genetically modified corn in national territory with the aim of protecting the country’s biodiversity, in response to the resolution of the panel of the Treaty between Mexico, the United States and Canada (T-MEC) on measures related to genetically modified corn.

“The Mexican Congress, here with the help of the senators and deputies, we are going to turn this resolution around, because very soon, in February (in the next session period), they are going to legislate, I am sure, that transgenic corn cannot be planted and that Mexico’s biodiversity must be protected in our country. As we say: Without corn, there is no country!”

However, on December 20, 2024, the Panel established under Chapter 31 (Dispute Settlement) of the Treaty between the United Mexican States, the United States of America and Canada (USMCA) distributed to the Parties in dispute its Final Report on the case Mexico – measures related to genetically modified corn (MEX-USA-2023-31-01).

As part of its conclusions, the Panel considered that some elements of the Decree on glyphosate and genetically modified corn, published in the Official Journal of the Federation on February 13, 2023, cannot be applied “because they are not based on an adequate risk assessment, scientific evidence and relevant international standards.”

Through the Official Journal of the Federation, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador issued an order to revoke and no longer grant authorizations for the use of genetically modified corn intended for human consumption, as well as the use of glyphosate, a herbicide widely used in the field.

This decree replaces one from December 2020 and its objective, the Ministry of Economy (SE) subsequently detailed in a press release, is to specify the objective and scope of public policies, as well as to “eliminate any possible imprecision of the predecessor text, which lent itself to diverse interpretations”.

The decree, he explained, is strictly limited to corn, so that canola, soybean, cotton and the rest of the raw materials are not subject to this regulation. In addition, to avoid confusion, the decree establishes a categorization of corn according to its use: human food (dough and tortillas), fodder and industrialized corn for human food.