Ag Secretary Talks Corn Restrictions With Mexico as Congressional Pressure Grows
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack met with Mexican officials Dec. 16 to talk about Mexican plans to ban the import of genetically modified corn. The meeting came after the Biden administration heard from Congress that the U.S. should confront Mexico over the policy.
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Earlier this month, more than half of the House Ways and Means Committee members asked the U.S. trade representative to initiate formal dispute resolution consultations with Mexico over its barriers to U.S. crops that are genetically modified or use other biotechnology (see 2212090059). And on Dec. 14, Sens. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., and Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., led a letter signed by 26 senators, left, right and center, also asking the administration to consider bringing a dispute against Mexico if it continues to say it will stop importing GMO corn in 2024.
"These actions are unsupported by science and a breach of USMCA. It would be detrimental to food security in Mexico, hurt U.S. agricultural sustainability, and stifle future agricultural technology innovations that would benefit both nations," the senators said. "While we appreciate the efforts of USTR and USDA to resolve this issue by engaging with Mexican officials, we also encourage the administration to consider all options available in an effort to hold Mexico to their trade commitments including pursuing a dispute settlement process through USMCA."
They said that not only would U.S. farmers be hurt, but Mexican prices would increase by nearly 20%, because the vast majority of the 16.8 metric tons of corn exported from the U.S. to Mexico is GMO corn.
The Mexican president has suggested the ban could be limited to corn for human consumption -- most of U.S. corn is used to feed animals. After the meeting, Vilsack issued a statement that said: “There was candid conversation about our deep concerns around the restrictions of the importation of biotech corn and other biotechnology products stemming from President López Obrador’s 2020 decree. 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. There is a joint recognition that time is of the essence and we must determine a path forward soon.”