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As Claudia Sheinbaum became Mexico’s president on Oct. 1, a bipartisan letter from 21 American Congress members called on U.S. officials to resolve the dispute with Mexico over a planned biotech corn ban.
“With this change in leadership, we strongly urge you to engage with the incoming administration in Mexico to address ongoing trade disputes under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), including Mexico’s ban on genetically modified (GM) corn,” said the letter, addressed to U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Thai and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) submitted an Oct. 1 statement in support of the letter, repeating its call to action: “BIO urges both governments to work in concert to resolve this trade dispute as soon as possible for the sake of future biotechnological innovation and the health of both nations.”
Mexico would ban imports of biotech corn under a decree issued by then-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador in 2020 and updated in 2023. The U.S. has challenged the ban as unscientific and called on a dispute panel to rule whether it is a violation of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). That panel may announce its decision as early as next month.
Sheinbaum was López Obrador’s choice to succeed him. Her incoming agriculture minister has said the new government will continue enforcing the decree, including an immediate ban on biotech corn in dough and tortilla production, and an eventual phase-out of all products for human consumption.
“With over 90% of the corn in the U.S. grown with GM varieties, this decree has created massive uncertainty for our farmers, businesses, and seed developers,” said the letter from the 21 Congress members. “Our biggest agricultural export to Mexico in 2023 was corn—with the total value exported registering at more than $5 billion.”
“It is our hope that you will work with President Sheinbaum and her administration to resolve this dispute and ensure continued access to Mexico’s market for U.S. corn and biotechnology, which has long been proven safe for human consumption,” the letter said.
BIO opposes the ban and Mexico can’t implement it
Since the decree was first announced in 2020, BIO has been calling attention to its unscientific approach and urging action to enforce USMCA rules prohibiting Mexico’s biotech corn ban.
BIO reiterated its stance in the Oct. 1 statement.
“For decades, rules- and science-based free trade agreements have served both the United States and Mexico well—helping advance innovative biotechnologies that meet the needs of a growing world while relying on less land and water than ever before. At a time when Mexico faces a historic drought and relies on a record number of imports of U.S. agricultural commodities to meet its population’s growing demand, the role of biotechnology in agriculture has never been more critical,” BIO said.
As Bio.News has reported, a study of the projected impact of the first decade of such a ban found there would be a $11.72 billion decrease in Mexico’s GDP over 10 years, and labor income would be decreased by $2.99 billion. “The Mexican ban would cost the U.S. economy close $73.89 billion in economic output,” the study said.
The official dispute panel deciding whether the ban violates the USMCA held hearings June 26-27 for the U.S. and Mexico to present their sides of the argument. The panel asked follow-up questions and the U.S. and Mexican replies to those questions were published Sept. 19. The panel’s decision is expected in the coming months.
The country’s volume of imports of U.S. corn hit daily records, earlier this year, which was to be the first year of the ban. Drought in Mexico has increased the demand for U.S. corn and was expected to drive a record season of U.S. sales to Mexico—real-world evidence of how higher yield, drought-proofed biotech corn can enhance food security. The drought means Mexico has been unable to implement the ban, as it needs U.S. corn.
