Tai Tells Mexican Economy Secretary Energy, Corn Exports, Forced Labor Need Attention
A readout of a Dec. 1 meeting between U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Mexican Economy Secretary Raquel Buenrostro, a new appointee, said Tai "reiterated the importance" of Mexico imposing a ban on the import of goods made with forced labor. Tai also said it's urgent consultations over what the U.S. sees as discriminatory investment policies in Mexico's energy sector make "meaningful progress."
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Tai told Buenrostro it's important that Mexico's regulations on agricultural biotechnology are science- and risk-based, and said there can't be "any disruption in U.S. corn exports to Mexico, including for both feed and human consumption."
Law firm Haynes Boone said the ban on imported GMO corn, due to take effect in early 2024, is not very likely to come to pass because of the pain it would impose on Mexican livestock ranchers, whose animals eat the imported corn.
Tai said she also talked about environmental issues in Mexican fisheries.
Mexico's readout of the visit said Buenrostro told Tai that her country wants to quickly resolve their disagreements over energy. But she also said that an agreement must protect Mexico's sovereignty, according to an unofficial translation of the readout.
Buenrostro also told Tai about U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack's meeting with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador about biotechnology, and said Mexico's agriculture, environmental and economy secretaries would soon meet with Vilsack.
Vilsack released a statement after the Nov. 28 meeting with Lopez Obrador. "The meetings provided a venue to raise the United States Government’s and our producers’ deep concerns around President Lopez Obrador’s 2020 decree to phase out the use and importation of biotech corn and other biotechnology products by January 2024," Vilsack said. The phase-out decree "has the potential to substantially disrupt trade, harm farmers on both sides of the border and significantly increase costs for Mexican consumers."
Vilsack said he “emphasized in no uncertain terms that -- absent acceptable resolution of the issue -- the U.S. Government would be forced to consider all options, including taking formal steps to enforce our legal rights under the USMCA."
He added that the Mexican president "reaffirmed the importance of yellow corn imports for Mexico’s food security. He also discussed a potential process in which we can exchange information and engage in dialogue assuring the safety of biotechnology products. We expect to have a proposal from the President’s team soon and we will evaluate closely."