U.S. Farmers Get a Much-Need Win Against Mexican Corn Import Decrees
David Salmonsen
Senior Director, Government Affairs
Chad Smith
Associate News Service Editor, NAFB
The year will end on a high note for U.S. corn growers in a trade dispute with Mexico. Chad Smith has the details.
Smith: In February 2023, the Mexican government put out two decrees that dealt with corn imports from the U.S. Dave Salmonsen, senior director of government affairs for the American Farm Bureau Federation, says both decrees were found to be in violation of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
Salmonsen: Both said that they did not want genetically modified corn from the U.S. One was about white corn that you use to make food products such as tortillas and such, and the other was about the yellow corn that goes into livestock feed. So, the one about the white corn said no, we're not importing that anymore. We don't want it. And the other one said we want the Mexican government to find other sources. We want non-GMO yellow corn.
Smith: The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative brought the case before a USMCA dispute panel that made it’s decision late last week.
Salmonsen: The dispute panel, which is made up of persons from all three countries, decided for the U.S. on all counts. The main points of their panel decision were, one, that the Mexican measures were not based on science, and two, that what they were doing was undermining the market access that Mexico agreed to provide in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
Smith: Salmonsen says there are two major steps ahead for both the U.S. and Mexico.
Salmonsen: One, within 45 days, Mexico needs to come into compliance, which probably means they will withdraw those decrees, or at least act going forward like they don't exist, so we'll see what form that takes. The second point is that all three countries are heading into a scheduled review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Is it really just a review of how the agreement works, or it could potentially be a renegotiation of certain elements.
Smith:Learn more at fb.org/news. Chad Smith, Washington.
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