| Montreal, 23/01/2003 – The Secretariat of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) today released the terms of reference that will guide the preparation of a report on the effects of transgenic maize in Mexico. These terms are now open for public comment.
The study was prompted by concerns regarding gene flow from transgenic varieties of maize to Mexican land races and their wild relatives. The CEC therefore initiated the report to address the health, economic and biodiversity issues surrounding the issue.
An advisory group, comprising experts and stakeholders from Canada, Mexico and the United States, was appointed in October to guide the study. The terms of reference and a preliminary report outline have been adopted by the group and represent a first step in its development.
The CEC Secretariat's next step will be to begin developing the report, including a set of recommendations to be made by the advisory group to the governments of Canada, Mexico and the United States.
All comments received will be posted to the CEC web site in their original language. The closing date for comments is 24 February 2003. Please submit comments to Chantal Line Carpentier by e-mail at <clcarpentier@ccemtl.org> or by mail to the address below.
For more information, please consult our web site at <http://www.cec.org/maize>, or contact:
Chantal Line Carpentier
Acting Head, Environment, Economy and Trade
Commission for Environmental Cooperation
393, rue St-Jacques, bureau 200
Montréal (Québec) H2Y 1N9
For media-related inquiries, please contact:
Spencer Ferron-Tripp
Media and Outreach Officer
(514) 350-4331
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