The United States asked for technical consultations with Mexico over its agricultural biotechnology policy on Monday, the first formal step toward a challenge under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement. Mexico, the leading customer for U.S. corn exports, said in mid-February that it would ban entry of GMO corn used in making tortillas but accept GMO corn intended for livestock feed and industrial processors.
“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,” said U.S. trade representative Katherine Tai. The consultations will be the first held under the USMCA chapter for sanitary and phytosanitary measures.
The National Corn Growers Association said a speedy resolution was needed “to eliminate this trade barrier in the very near future.”
U.S. officials have repeatedly threatened to file a USMCA challenge over Mexico’s reluctance to accept GMO corn and an herbicide used in conjunction with the seeds. Most of the corn grown in the United States is from GMO seed. The United States is adamant that GMO foods are safe.
Mexico’s Economy Ministry said it viewed the request for consultations as an attempt to treat the GMO issue in a “cooperative way,” reported Reuters.