MEXICO CITY, Reuters – Bayer, OTC:, is evaluating legal options following the rejection by Mexican health officials of a GMO corn license it sought. The German agricultural and pharmaceutical giant, Bayer, said Friday in a statement to Reuters that the Mexican regulators had rejected the request for a GMO corn certificate.

Reuters earlier reported that Cofepris had rejected the corn import permit as President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador tries to harden his opposition to genetically modified plants.

“We are disappointed in the non-scientific reason that Cofepris used for denying the authorization,” said the statement. The statement identified the rejected corn variety by using its proprietary HT3 x SmartStax Pro technology.

Bayer stated that its business is not affected by the denial of permit.

Company claims that genetically modified corn has been subject to more safety tests than other crops in history. They have also been deemed safe for animals, humans and the environment.

Multiple inquiries for comment from the Cofepris press team were ignored by their office.

Lopez Obrador made a controversial Decree at the close of the year, which outlined a 3-year plan to prohibit GMO corn from human consumption and the herbicide glyphosate.

The plan has been strongly criticized by industry associations, who have tried unsuccessfully to convince judges to reject it. They argue that the ban could lead to a trade conflict with the United States. They claim that if the ban is taken to mean animal feed and other industrial uses, it will eventually hit consumers with higher food costs.

Environmentalists and advocates for healthy food agree with the plan to ban glyphosate spraying on GMO crops that are designed to tolerate it.

Roundup, an agrochemical firm that developed glyphosate, was the first to use it. Monsanto Bayer bought (NYSE:) in 2018 as part of an acquisition worth $63 billion.