By Shelby Shank
Field Editor

The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) initiated action against Mexico regarding the country’s decree to ban the import of genetically modified corn.

The USTR announced consultations with Mexico, under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), regarding measures restricting agricultural biotechnology that will impact U.S. corn exports. The announcement states Mexico is violating the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Chapter of USMCA with the country’s biotechnology policies.

Mexico first issued a decree to limit the import of biotech corn in 2020.

The U.S. exported 13.8 million tons of yellow corn and 1.6 million tons of white corn to Mexico in 2022. Mexico was the largest exporter of U.S. corn in the 2021-2022 marketing year, accounting for 27% of all U.S. corn exports.

Limiting these exports brings great concern to U.S. farmers.

Despite multiple engagements by the U.S. government to resolve this situation through negotiations, Mexico has taken action to retract its biotech approvals.

“The United States has repeatedly conveyed our serious concerns with Mexico’s biotechnology policies and the importance of adopting a science-based approach that complies with its USMCA commitments,” Katherine Tai, USTR ambassador, said. “Mexico’s policies threaten to disrupt billions of dollars in agricultural trade, and they will stifle the innovation that is necessary to tackle the climate crisis and food security challenges if left unaddressed. We hope these consultations will be productive as we continue to work with Mexico to address these issues.”

The requested consultations from the USTR focus on Mexico’s ban on genetically modified white corn imports from the U.S. used for tortillas and other food. The consultations also focus on Mexico’s intent to replace all genetically modified feed corn with non-genetically modified feed corn.

Farm groups and the USTR said Mexico’s decision to ban the import of biotech corn was made on a non-scientific basis.

“American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) appreciates that the USTR is taking the necessary steps to press the Mexican government for fair access to markets for America’s farmers,” Zippy Duvall, AFBF president, said. “Mexican President Obrador’s ban on biotech corn is not based on science and is a clear violation of the USMCA. It not only hurts our farmers, it denies families in Mexico access to safe and affordable food.”

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack weighed in on the USTR’s request.

“While we appreciate the sustained, active engagement with our Mexican counterparts at all levels of government, we remain firm in our view that Mexico’s current biotechnology trajectory is not grounded in science, which is the foundation of USMCA,” he said. “We remain unequivocal in our stance that the science around agricultural biotechnology has been settled for decades.”

Now that the U.S. has requested consultations with Mexico, both sides have 30 days to begin the discussions to resolve the issue. If there is no resolution, the U.S. can call for a dispute panel to decide the issues.

The resolution the U.S. is looking for is for Mexico to withdraw their ban or alter the ban, so it does not have an impact on U.S. exports.

Canada has also requested formal consultations with Mexico on the issue.