On 24 June 2009, 16 members of the Mixed Consultative Council (Consejo Consultivo Mixto) of Mexico’s Intersecretarial Commission on Biosafety and Genetically Modified Organisms (Comisión Intersecretarial de Bioseguridad y Organismos Genéticamente Modificados, CIBIOGEM) met at El Batán to discuss the country’s emerging policies on the regulation, testing, and use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), particularly in agriculture. The Council, which includes representatives from diverse sectors of Mexican agriculture, met at El Batán at the request of its current president, Fabrice Salamanca, who is also the executive director of AgroBIO México, a private agency that promotes public awareness about biotechnology and its products. Salamanca wanted Council members to learn about CIMMYT and its work. In addition to their formal sessions, the group interacted with center staff and visited the germplasm bank and the long-term conservation agriculture trial.
