Peru’s environment and agriculture ministers faced off this month before the country’s Congressional Agriculture Commission over rules involving genetically modified organisms such as crops that tolerate herbicide or produce their own pesticide. The evidence of discord came after the Agriculture Ministry issued an April 15 decree that establishes implementing regulations for Peru’s 1999 Law on Risk Prevention in the Use of Biotechnology (Law 27104). With some lawmakers pushing for a moratorium on the regulations, the Agriculture Commission held its May 4 meeting to hear the two ministers’ views on the controversial rules. The regulations would set guidelines for research and use of genetically modified organisms in agriculture and forestry and enable the creation of a technical commission to review requests for the importation and use... [Log in to read more]