Vice President José Alencar, standing in for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva who is visiting the United States, Cuba and Mexico, on Thursday signed a decree allowing for GM soy planting next season under restricted conditions. Opponents anounced they would challenge the decree in court. The decree requires labelling, liability and payment of patent fees and aims to control the illegal planting of GM soybeans in southern areas of Brazil. It also requires an environmental impact assessment and is only valid for the next planting season.</p><p><a href="http://zs-l.de/saveourseeds/downloads/brazil_law_26_09_03_en.pdf" target = "Blank">The Brazilian interim decree onplanting GM soybeans in 2003/04</a></p><p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1049852,00.html" target = "blank">The Guardian: Brazil agrees to grow GM crops</a></p><p><a href="http://zs-l.de/saveourseeds/downloads/nyt_brazil_25_09_03.pdf" target = "Blank">NYT: Brazil to lift Ban</a></p><p><a href="http://zs-l.de/saveourseeds/downloads/brazil_law_26_09_03.pdf" target = "Blank">Text of the decree in Portuguese</a>