Deputy Minister, Claudio Monge says Minister of Agriculture is “ignorant” on subject of GMO’s

genetically modified corn sign

February 22^nd, 2013 (InsideCostaRica.com) Minister of Agriculture, Gloria Abraham, appeared before the Environmental Commission of the Legislative Assembly yesterday at 1pm.

The minister was accompanied by members of the Biosafety Commission, including chairman Alex May, and Walter Quiros of the National Seed Office.

Apparently, this riled Claudio Monge of the Citizen Action Party.

Monge said he wanted to show that the minister was “ignorant” on the subject of genetically modified crops. He also said that the two members of the Biosafety Commission who voted against transgenic corn “were not invited.”

Monge hinted that the minister may have excluded some proponents of GMOs from the discussion.

However, the commission said that, according to “technical criteria,” the planting of GMO seeds will not compromise other plantations, and that the planting of such seeds does not imply approval of the commercial release of the seed in Costa Rica, as it is only for export.

Meanwhile, there were calls by some to bring additional experts to the commission, after Monge’s accusations that the minister and those against the GMO plantations “knew absolutely nothing on the subject.”