The United States has insisted that Mexico’s ban on GM corn threatens to disrupt billions of dollars in agricultural trade.

The United States announced on Monday the start of technical consultations with Mexico under the new trilateral free trade agreement with Canada (TMEC) due to the Latin American country’s intention to veto imports. of transgenic maize intended for human consumption.

The office of U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai warned in a statement that it would take action against Mexico to enforce the treaty if this dispute is not resolved.

“Mexico’s policies threaten to disrupt billions of dollars in agricultural trade and undermine the innovation needed to address the climate crisis and food security challenges,” Tai criticized in the statement Monday.

The controversy arose last year from President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s intention to ban imports of transgenic maize from the United States by 2024 because he considers it harmful to health.

After several negotiations, the Mexican government agreed to allow imports of GM corn for livestock, but maintained the blockade on corn for human consumption.
The TMEC, launched in 2020 by the United States, Mexico and Canada, establishes that a country can enter into technical consultations with another when it considers that its policies negatively affect free trade.

In the event that the two parties fail to reach an agreement, the TMEC provides for the initiation of a dispute resolution panel and independent arbitration.

“If these issues are not resolved, we will consider all options, including taking formal action to enforce United States rights under the USMCA,” warned the U.S. Commerce Office, which said he expressed to Mexico “repeatedly serious concerns” about this.

In December last year, a delegation from the Mexican government met with senior US executive officials in Washington to try to strike a corn deal.

Finally, on January 30, Joe Biden’s government sent a formal request to Mexico for an explanation of its intention to veto transgenic corn and received a response from the executive of Andrés Manuel López Obrador on January 14. FEBRUARY.
United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said in a statement on Monday that he wanted to “strengthen” trade ties with Mexico, but he said the neighboring country’s policies “are not based on the science, which is the basis of TMEC”.

“The intent of the United States government is that through this process we can achieve an outcome that respects each country’s sovereignty and benefits the United States, Mexico, and our farmers,” the office said. commercial.

Since the establishment of the TMEC, at least 17 commercial disputes have been opened, some of them high profile.

The United States and Canada have come together to open a round of consultations to determine whether Mexico’s energy policy discriminates against American and Canadian companies.

Fountain: ECE