The supply is high and Americans are pushing for the conflict to be dealt with under the Free Trade Agreement (T-MEC) as Mexico is allegedly opposed to human consumption of transgenics and the use of a herbicide harmful to humans Health and the environment – including crops – such as glyphosate, violates the biotechnology provisions of the agreement.
The United States claims that Mexico’s action will cause billions of dollars in damage to its producers and, in turn, raise the prices of tortillas and other essential products for consumers south of the Rio Grande.
At the heart of this is an executive order by the Mexican government dated December 31, 2020, which establishes the phasing out of the herbicide glyphosate and empowers biosecurity agencies to revoke permits for the use of genetically modified corn in supply and to refrain from issuing permits until they will at the latest fully replaced as of January 31, 2024.
During her recent visit to Washington, the Minister of Economy, Raquel Buenrostro, proposed to the United States to postpone the decree from 2024 to 2025, but the producers of this country oppose the Mexican initiative, which the government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador does not renounce, like him confirmed in several press conferences.
The legal provision, published in the Official Gazette, sets out the measures that must be taken to gradually replace the use, acquisition, distribution and import of glyphosate and agrochemicals used in the country containing this asset.
According to the document, they “must be modified by sustainable and culturally appropriate alternatives that allow production and are safe for human health and the country’s biocultural diversity.”
To which the United States responds that it is violating the USMCA, for which it has asked the Office of the Trade Representative to set up a dispute resolution body, said Angus Kelly, director of public policy at the Corn Producers Association, which represents about 300,000 farmers.
Despite the Mexican decree, he pointed out that US farmers are already placing their orders to buy seeds for next year’s crop and that the corn produced in 2022 and 2023 will be on the market beyond the deadline, in which Mexico says it will ban genetically modified corn.
The conflict, already advanced with special envoys for Mexico, will be present at the T-MEC North Summit on January 10 in Mexico City, where a way out will be sought. Mexican speakers suggested finding a use for the transgene other than in human food.
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