US legislators ask the USTR to act on the ban on GM corn in Mexico

A group of US bipartisan legislators asked this country’s trade representation this Friday to start consultations within the framework of the trade agreement with Canada and Mexico (T-MEC) on the Mexican ban on genetically modified corn and the herbicide glyphosate.

The request was made in a letter signed by 24 members of Congress and headed by the Republican representative Adrian Smith and the democrat Daniel Kildeeof the Ways and Means Committee, both delegates from corn-producing states.

The lawmakers requested that the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) enter into dispute settlement consultations with Mexico over policies they say are “not based on science.”

A presidential decree in 2020 imposed the phasing out by 2024 of genetically modified corn and glyphosate in Mexico, but government officials have recently said they are working on a proposal to revise the plan, including a temporary extension.

“We urge the USTR to promptly request dispute resolution consultations with Mexico on these issues,” the congressmen said. “Ignoring Mexico’s disregard for its USMCA commitments sends a signal to our other trading partners that they can take similar steps without repercussions,” they added.

The lawmakers claimed that the Mexican government has failed to meet its “biotechnology-related commitments in the USMCA” and that the USTR must enforce the agricultural provisions of the trade pact.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Economy did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Another from USTR had no immediate comment.

Mexico imports around 17 million tons of corn from the United States, of which between 18% and 20% are white grain, used in food products such as tortillas.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador it has said the ban focuses on corn for human consumption and that GM yellow grain for animal feed would remain allowed for another two years. But the Mexican authorities have not clarified if they will reduce imports of this last variety.

Supporters of the ban say genetically modified seeds can contaminate Mexico’s ancient landraces, and legal battles have raged in US courts for years alleging that glyphosate-based herbicides cause cancer.

Critics of the order insist it will threaten food security and cause major disruption to American farmers.