Stay Out Monsanto- Costa Rica Is Almost 100% GMO FREE

Costa Rica Almost 100% GMO Free

62 out of Costa Rica's 81 cantons have already adopted a legal strategy to make themselves GMO-free.

Also see:

The Long March Against Monsanto In Costa Rica

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Jaime Lopez Costa Rica Star, August 21 2013

Costa Rica Is Almost 100% Transgenic Free

The number of cantons in Costa Rica that have adopted legislation to prohibit the cultivation of potentially dangerous genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is now at 62. These transgenic-free territories are following a legal strategy often called the “anti-Monsanto doctrine” after the world’s most powerful distributor of GMO seeds.

The new transgenic-free territories are Vazquez de Coronado and Zarcero. The latter is located in the province of Alajuela and the former in the province of San Jose. Zarcero was once known as the Alfaro-Ruiz canton, and Vazquez de Coronado is named after an early Spanish settler and first colonial governor of Costa Rica (although most people shorten the canton’s name to Coronado). These two jurisdictions have something in common: They are known for their quality dairy production and their agricultural output. Coronado has a long tradition of dairy farming, which is the reason for the eponymous national brand of dairy products that rivals Dos Pinos in Costa Rica. Zarcero is the home of a farm-fresh type of cheese that is a favorite among Ticos.

In Coronado, the Environmental Commission took six months to research the people’s proposal to join the 61 other cantons in Costa Rica that have become transgenic-free territories by means of municipal codes. This tactic is often considered the final line of defense against companies such as Monsanto that use their powerful connections and high-level horse trading to get results. The company was recently found playing a corporate shell game to surreptitiously introduce GMO seeds in Costa Rica, but the Constitutional Chamber (Sala Cuarta) is currently reviewing that incident.

Environmental activists in Costa Rica often seat in the cantonal meetings while transgenic-free proposals are being considered; this is to ensure that no foul play takes place. A six-month period of research and evaluation such as the one undertaken in Coronado is the norm. The proposals often call for implementation and outreach programs to teach farmers and people about the potential damage that certain GMOs can cause to the soil and ecosystems.

After Coronado and Zarcero, only 19 out of the 81 cantons in Costa Rica are left to adopt transgenic-free declarations of law. The Costa Rica Star has recently published articles about other regions of the world that are fighting the potential dangers of GMO seeds: The world-famous City of Las Vegas and the venerable Republic of India.

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More and more we see countries striving to keep GMOs from contaminating their agriculture. Monsanto, DOW and the "big six" chemical killers have been deliberately setting their sights upon places like Costa Rica, Hawaii, Puerto Rico not only because of the agriculture, but because they think they can keep it secret. I think they gravely underestimated the people of these areas of the world and their love for the seed. In many of these places agriculture is their life. It is all they have. It is only logical and right that people will stand up to preserve the way of life they know and that is not toxic to nature.

Can you truly say that spraying Kauai with millions of tons of poison chemicals is the way nature intended us to live? To kill ourselves and all in the web of life with manmade poisons? How arrogant and criminal Monsanto, DOW and their counterparts are to think we will sit idly by and allow them to kill nature in order to control it for their own twisted agenda.

Bravo to Costa Rica. I hope to see so many more countries doing this. Of course, the US as always is the most backward and bought when it comes to matters such as this. But I see a day when countries pushing this transgenic garbage on the world will have to rethink it because trade will cease with them because of their putting corporate profit over health and biodiversity. Remember, these psychopaths will never understand the moral implications of what they are doing. The only thing they understand is $$$$$$$$.

I am grateful I am able to be one of millions of voices out here working to see the day when GMO IS NO MORE.

Atlas Of Genetically Modified Crops



This is a couple years old but it gives a good idea of just how pervasive GMOs are in the world.

That needs to change if we are to see the biodiversity of our planet which gives us life survive.