On August 17th, United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai announced that the United States is establishing a dispute settlement panel under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) regarding certain Mexican measures concerning biotech corn. The United States is challenging measures set out in Mexico’s February 13, 2023 decree, specifically the ban on use of biotech corn in tortillas or dough, and the instruction to Mexican government agencies to gradually substitute/ban the use of biotech corn in all products for human consumption and for animal feed. The U.S. claims that Mexico’s measures are not based on science and undermine the market access it agreed to provide in the USMCA. The Mexican policy would essentially prohibit most corn grown in the US from entering Mexico and would cause uncertainty in the trade relationship between the three oldest partners in North America. US trade ambassador Katherine Tai explained how the US’s trade relationship with Mexico is “rooted in trust and honesty”, and hoped the Mexican government would eliminate it’s “USMCA-inconsistent biotechnology measures so that American farmers can continue to access the Mexican market and use innovative tools to respond to climate and food security challenges”. Mexico mainly produces white corn used for human consumption, and imports most of its yellow corn used for livestock consumption and industrial purposes. It has sought to ban biotech corn for human consumption, arguing it harms native varieties (of corn) and could have health risks in consumption. Canada has joined with the US in challenging the Mexican policy.
