U.S. threatens legal steps over planned GMO maize ban
U.S. threatens legal steps against Mexico over the country's planned GMO maize ban
U.S. threatens legal steps against Mexico over the country’s planned GMO maize ban.
Asserting that Mexico’s intention to outlaw the importation of genetically modified maize in 2024 will result in major losses in the economy and have a negative influence on bilateral trade, the United States threatened legal action against Mexico on Monday.
The USMCA trade agreement, which Mexico claims to be in violation of, is the subject of ongoing negotiations between the nations to resolve the issue.
Following a meeting with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack declared in a statement: “We must find a way forward immediately.” He cited the “serious worries” of American farmers on Mexico’s upcoming ban on genetically modified corn.
“I 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.
According to a Mexican agriculture official who spoke to Reuters in October, the proposed restriction would cut Mexico’s imports of yellow corn from the United States in half.
GMO seeds, according to the plan’s proponents, might infect Mexico’s traditional native types.
Vilsack stated that Lopez Obrador had reiterated the significance of yellow corn imports for the safety of Mexico’s food supply and that he was anticipating receiving a proposal from the president for a potential discussion on the subject soon.
“Mexico’s import ban would cause both massive economic losses for Mexico’s agricultural industries and citizens, as well as place an unjustified burden on U.S. farmers,” Vilsack said, warning that the move would “have a significant impact on the U.S.-Mexico trade relationship.”
Total U.S.-Mexican trade amounted to over $587 billion in the first nine months of this year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
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