In late 2002, researchers reported traces of transgenic corn in Mexican maize. Because transgenic corn had been banned from Mexico, this announcement triggered an international debate about the science and public policies related to unintended gene flow.

To help address the many questions and concerns raised by this issue, the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology (PIFB) and the U.S.-Mexico Foundation for Science (FUMEC) held a two-day public conference in September 2003 in Mexico City, titled Gene Flow: What Does It Mean for Biodiversity and Centers of Origin? Proceedings from the conference are now available on the Pew Initiative website in both English and Spanish translations. Highlights include:

• Opening remarks by Peter Raven, director of the Missouri Botanical Garden, noted the importance of conserving biodiversity and suggested future introduction of additional kinds of transgenic maize should be considered on a case-by-case basis.

• Discussion in the first panel looked at the impact of agricultural practices and cultural barriers on the biodiversity of maize in Mexico, noting that causes other than gene flow (such as the fact more farmers are opting for urban jobs, changes in consumption patterns, and the use of other crops) must be considered when discussing genetic erosion.

• The second panel examined the persistence of transgenes, exploring how the flow of genes from transgenics may have positive, neutral or negative impacts on the net fitness of plants.

• Discussions on the second day of the conference included commentary from Víctor Villalobos, coordinator of international affairs with the Office of the Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA) in Mexico, who provided an overview of the Mexican Biosafety Regulatory System and Jose Sarukhan, a researcher with Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM) and national coordinator of Comision Nacional para el Comocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad (CONABIO), who outlined three problems faced by those assessing the risks and benefits of transgenic gene flow.