No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeTopicsEnvironment and WildlifeCosta Rican municipality to ban GMO production

Costa Rican municipality to ban GMO production

In a unanimous decision on Friday, the municipality of Matina, Limón, on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast, passed an ordinance banning the growth of genetically modified crops.

Matina becomes Costa Rica’s 64th municipality to ban GMO production in some form, making 80 percent of Costa Rica theoretically GMO-free. Without a national ban, however, GMO projects approved by the Agriculture and Livestock Ministry are allowed to continue even in municipalities with active GMO prohibitions.

On Oct. 16, lawmakers introduced a bill that would place a moratorium on the expansion of GMO projects in Costa Rica. If passed, current GMO farms would be unable to expand, and new GMO ventures would be prohibited.

Only 17 municipalities have yet to enact a GMO ban. Two Costa Rican anti-GMO groups, the Ecologist Federation and the Bloque Verde, will meet with officials from three municipalities without bans, Siquirres, Parrita and Alajuelita, in November. 

Popular Articles

Costa Rica June Gardening: Grow Fruit Trees and Veggies with Compost

Sunny, clear morning skies, rainy afternoons and ripening fruit on the trees are all part of June days in Costa Rica. June is also...

Panama Declares State of Emergency After Chiquita Banana Strike

The government of Panama declared a "state of emergency" on Tuesday in a Caribbean province where a subsidiary of U.S.-based banana company Chiquita Brands...

Parasite Outbreak in Costa Rica’s Howler Monkeys Tied to Tourism and Land Use Changes

Howler monkeys in Costa Rica are facing a growing threat from bot fly larvae infestations, and new research points to tourism and land use...
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest Articles