Mexico Plans to Ban GM Corn, "Deeply Concerns" United States Farmers

Another economic dispute between Mexico and the United States is brewing over Mexico's ban on importing genetically modified or GM corn.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement that they might need more time to find a solution.

According to the Associated Press News, the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, made it clear on Tuesday that his country will continue to reject the import of GM corn for human consumption. López Obrador said Mexico would also investigate whether to ban it for use in animal feed.

The Mexican president has suggested that a time limit be placed on studying the components of yellow corn to see if they are damaging to human health, regardless of whether the corn is utilized as animal feed.

For yellow feed corn, the president said they are proposing a two-year window for imports due to the lengthy process involved.

The Mexican president stressed the importance of preventing genetic manipulation of native corn varieties to protect human health. The domestication of corn is thought to have begun in Mexico. Hence, the country is often considered the plant's origin.

The Presidential Decree for GM Corn Phases Out by January 2024

In a decree signed on December 31, 2020, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador ordered the elimination of GM corn for human consumption by the end of January 2024.

U.S. grain exporters were understandably alarmed by the order.

As the deadline approaches, Washington has stepped up its efforts to convince López Obrador to cancel or soften the intended embargo.

Vilsack met with Mexican President López Obrador on Monday and gave him an overview of the "deep concerns" of American farmers, said BBC News.

Vilsack said the United States would be forced to consider all alternatives, including formal action, to safeguard their legal rights under the USMCA, the free trade treaty between the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

"We must find a way forward soon," he continued.

The Mexico president campaigned on a promise to ban GM corn.

Earlier this month, he said that Mexico was a "sovereign free country" and that they do not want GM.

López Obrador has said that not enough research has been done in Mexico to determine the effects of genetically modified corn on traditional corn varieties.

Mexico Violates Trade Pact, Says the United States

Although neighboring countries are now in dispute resolution negotiations, the United States has claimed that Lopez Obrador's energy ambitions violate the trade pact.

Lopez Obrador also called for a study conducted by the health agencies of both countries to determine the safety of GMO corn for human consumption.

Vilsack said he expected Lopez Obrador would contact him soon with an offer to continue the discussion, St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

In a statement released on Monday, Vilsack added that the import embargo imposed by Mexico would result in substantial economic losses for Mexico's agricultural enterprises and inhabitants while simultaneously placing an unfair burden on farmers in the United States.

An official in Mexico's highest government body claims that the planned ban would cut down U.S. exports of yellow corn.

Proponents of the ban argue that GM corn could infect native varieties in Mexico's corn fields.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

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