An anti-GMO activist in San Francisco. Source: Wikimedia Commons

In Costa Rica, the fight against genetically modified organisms (GMOs) deemed to be dangerous for the soil and thereby the ecosystem has been resolute and systematic.

Over the last three years, The Costa Rica Star has been reporting on the fight against the use of potentially harmful transgenics in agriculture, particularly those peddled by agro-industrial giant Monsanto, and the latest news is that this company, which has powerful political connections in the United States, has once again lost its underhanded fight to gain a foothold in our country.

As previously reported by The Costa Rica Star:

Monsanto, the global corporate giant that is used to having its way around farming operations around the world in the name of big profits, is experiencing one setback after another. The next disappointment for Monsanto in the near future could arrive in Costa Rica via the country’s Constitutional Chamber (informally known as Sala Cuarta).

A report by the General Procurement Office indicated the strong doubt cast by the decision of Costa Rica’s National Technical Committee on Bio-security (CTNBio in Spanish), which essentially approved a request by an agricultural company to plant several hectares with the GMOs MON-603, MON-88017 and MON-89034. It is important to note that the company in question, PL Semillas, is a subsidiary of Delta Pine Land, which itself is a shell company that acts a subsidiary of Monsanto. Using this corporate hodgepodge is part of Monsanto’s modus operandi since the company is not welcome in Costa Rica and therefore lacks an office here.

Earlier this month, Sala Cuarta entered an opinion on the aforementioned complaint. The Court believes that the sneaky approach used by Monsanto to introduce GMO seeds in Costa Rica is unconstitutional. As reported by Canada’s Center for Research on Globalization:

In what amounts to great news in the fight to regain the global food supply, the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Costa Rica struck a blow against Monsanto and other major biotech firms in their recent ruling regarding the secrecy of the approval process itself. According to Chief Justice Gilbert Armijo Sancho, who actually authored the final verdict for the court, the nation’s current approval process for the planting of GMOs is veiled in ‘secrecy’ and directly goes against the constitutional right to freedom of information.

The Center for Research on Globalization also highlighted Monsanto’s dealings with the United States Department of Agriculture, where the company enjoys unprecedented speedy approvals in court. The decision by Sala Cuarta clearly states that Monsanto must play by the rules and make all its intentions clear and transparent to the people of Costa Rica.