AFBF: It’s Good The Administration Is Starting A Formal Process With Mexico
The United States has asked Mexico to start the process of more formally resolving a long-running dispute over Mexico’s planned import ban of GMO corn. The U.S. Trade Representative’s Office asked Mexico for technical talks under the USMCA trade deal that could lead to more formal dispute settlement talks on the planned GMO corn ban.
“This is a step you have to take under the U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement, and if at a certain point, one of the parties—I think the U.S. side—considers no agreement, able to be reached, then the U.S. can ask for a dispute panel to be formed,” noted American Farm Bureau trade adviser Dave Salmonsen.
He said Mexico has sidelined for the time being, its planned ban on GMO yellow corn which it will feed to livestock, while keeping a 2024 ban on white corn.
“Fundamentally, though, they’re still pursuing what we consider to be a non-scientific trade barrier, in violation of USMCA. And so, it’s good that the administration is starting now on this more formal process.”
That Salmonsen noted follows months of high-level preliminary talks. Salmonsen said some 1.6 million tons of U.S. white corn to Mexico could be interrupted.
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