Government desists from vetoing the import of transgenic corn for livestock and industrial use

The Mexican government issued a new decree of actions regarding glyphosate and genetically modified corn (transgenic) in which it clarifies that the import of this type of grain will be allowed for animal feed and industrial processes, under the authorization of the Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (cofepris).

A previous decree, issued in December 2020, set January 31, 2024 as the deadline on which the import of transgenic corn could be carried out, without it being clear if it was intended for livestock and industrial use or only for human consumption.

For this reason, the United States government warned that the application of said provision could constitute a violation of the Mexico-United States-Canada Agreement, by raising a barrier to trade in yellow corn produced on United States soil.

The new decree, published on the afternoon of this Monday, February 13 in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF), proposes the elimination of the date of January 31, 2024 as the limit for the transition towards the elimination of imports of transgenic corn. for livestock and industrial use.

It establishes that the purpose of substituting imports for the use of the transgenic cornbut no longer establishes a critical date for this purpose.

“While the substitution referred to in the preceding paragraph is achieved, Cofepris may grant authorizations for genetically modified corn for animal feed and for industrial use for human food, being the responsibility of whoever uses it in Mexico that does not have the intended destination in the section III of the second article of this order”, reads in the Seventh Article of the Decree.

In addition, Article Eight states that “the implementation of alternatives for the gradual substitution in the country of genetically modified corn for animal feed and for industrial use for human food must be carried out based on criteria of sufficiency in the supply, in congruence with the country’s food self-sufficiency policies, in accordance with scientific principles and relevant international standards, guidelines or recommendations”.

In 2022, Mexico imported around 16.5 million tons of yellow corn –primarily transgenic– which represented around 75% of the national supply. Cattle feeders represented, in turn, almost 80% of national consumption.

In Article Octavio it is also added that “the relevant scientific studies will be carried out, for which the Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks will integrate a joint investigation protocol so that, under its coordination, it is carried out by said entity and the equivalent instances of other countries a study on the consumption of genetically modified corn and the possible damage to health”.

Last week, the US government summoned its Mexican counterpart to explain this week the scientific foundations behind its intention to ban the use of glyphosate and restrict imports of GM corn.

In mid-January, a delegation of US officials visited Mexico to review the progress made in the adjustments to the decree originally issued in December 2020, but at the end of their visit the US government let it be known that the changes did not yet address their concerns, so reserved the right to enforce their claims through the dispute resolution mechanism of the T-MEC.