In discussions to avert a potential shutoff of U.S. corn exports to Mexico, a senior-level Mexican delegation told U.S. officials that they wanted to ensure self-sufficiency in corn for tortillas. U.S. officials said Mexico “presented some potential amendments” to its presidential decree against imports of genetically modified corn beginning in January 2024.
“There was a joint recognition that time is of the essence and we must determine a path forward soon,” said U.S. trade representative Katherine Tai and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in a statement after the meeting on Friday. The Mexican Foreign Ministry said “it was agreed to continue constructive talks in order to arrive at a mutual understanding in January that gives legal certainty to all parties.”
The Biden administration has threatened to challenge the Mexican decree as a violation of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement. The United States is the world’s largest producer and exporter of corn, almost all of it grown from genetically modified seeds and much of it fed to livestock. Ninety percent of Mexican production is white corn used in foods such as tortillas, tamales and cornbread.
Corn originated in Mexico thousands of years ago and tortillas are an everyday food.
During the meeting in Washington, Mexico “explained its food security policy, highlighting three goals: To preserve Mexico’s biocultural heritage as the birthplace of more than 60 varieties of corn; to continue to ensure self-sufficiency in corn for tortillas; and to strengthen food security in North America,” said the Foreign Ministry. The delegation was led by four government ministers.
“There was candid conversation about our deep concerns around the restrictions of the importation of biotech corn and other biotechnology products stemming from President [Andres Manuel] Lopez Obrador’s 2020 decree,” said Tai and Vilsack. “The Mexican delegation presented some potential amendments to the decree in an effort to address our concerns. We agreed to review their proposal closely and follow up with questions or concerns in short order.”
Neither side described possible revisions to the decree, issued by Lopez Obrador in late 2020. He cited health risks to humans, a preference for self-sufficiency in food and cultural appropriateness. The decree would bar imports of genetically modified corn beginning in 2024 and prohibit use of glyphosate, the weedkiller used in combination with many of the GMO corn varieties.
The United States, a leader in agricultural biotechnology, fiercely defends the safety of the biotech foods. Mexico is one of the largest markets for U.S. corn exports. Nearly 3.1 million tonnes of U.S. corn have been shipped to Mexico in the trade year that opened on Sept. 1 — 45 percent of all corn exports — and an additional 6.5 million tonnes were on the books for transport, according to USDA data.
Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, who took part in talks with Tai and Vilsack, separately met Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan to prepare for President Biden’s trip to Mexico and the tri-national North American Leaders Summit in January in Mexico.