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Posted on Mar 6, 2023 in Audio, Editorial, Featured, Your Texas Agriculture Minute

YOUR TEXAS AGRICULTURE MINUTE

YOUR TEXAS AGRICULTURE MINUTE

 

U.S. takes next step in trade dispute with Mexico

By Gary Joiner
Publisher

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is taking steps toward a formal trade dispute with Mexico over its ban on bioengineered corn.

The office has announced consultations with Mexico under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

The announcement says that Mexico with its policies is violating the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Chapter of the USMCA.

The two governments will now begin formal consultations to resolve the issue. If there is no resolution, the U.S. can call for a dispute panel to decide the issues.

Mexican decrees, the latest in February, say that U.S. white corn, produced with biotechnology, will not be imported. Yellow corn produced with biotechnology can continue to be imported while Mexico looks for alternatives.

The U.S. exported 13.8 million tons of yellow corn and 1.6 million tons of white corn to Mexico in 2022. This is the largest foreign market for U.S. corn. Almost all of it was grown from genetically engineered seeds.

Mexico’s decrees on this issue are not grounded in science, which is the foundation of USMCA.

Mexican officials must be held accountable for the commitments they made under the trade agreement.

There must be fair access to markets for America’s farmers.

The preceding commentary is brought to you by Texas Farm Bureau, the “Voice of Texas Agriculture.” Called “Your Texas Agriculture Minute,” TFB will issue thought-provoking editorials each week—via print and audio—to spark understanding of agriculture in the Lone Star State and its impact on each and every Texan.

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