On June 2, 2023, the Biden administration requested formal dispute settlement consultations with Mexico after technical consultations regarding the latter’s ban on GMO corn use failed to bear fruit.[1] This continues a tradition of US support for GMO crops, with approximately 85% of planted acres of corn in the US being genetically enhanced in 2022.[2] Mexico announced the ban in 2020 with vocal support from the “Sin Maíz, No Hay Pais” (“Without Corn, There is No Country”) campaign and later modified it in February 2023 in an attempt to appease the US while continuing to emphasize concerns about biodiversity and public health.[3] The modified decree relaxed the original phase-out of GMO corn imports for animal feed and industrial purposes while maintaining the ban on use for human consumption.[4] President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s administration remains committed to the GMO ban, announcing there will be no more modifications.[5] While Mexico’s legal position is weak, President Obrador’s and the ban’s popular support are strong,[6] complicating matters.
Many US politicians, including Nebraska’s Representatives in the House, had called for formal dispute consultations under Chapter 31 of USMCA.[7] After the technical consultations under USMCA Chapter 9 failed, USTR escalated to dispute resolution, arguing that Mexico’s policy is inconsistent with the USMCA Chapter on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures.[8] Canada announced that it join the consultation as a third party, expressing concerns that Mexico’s GMO corn ban is not scientifically supported.[9]
The USTR asserts that Mexico’s ban on GMO corn importation and consumption and plans for substitution are inconsistent with its USMCA obligations. The USTR argues that the ban isn’t based on relevant scientific principles or international standards.[10] They allege Mexico failed to conduct a proper risk assessment in a manner that was documented, allow other parties to comment in an appropriate matter, and take into account WTO SPS Committee guidance.[11] The USTR also alleges that these SPS measures are applied beyond the extent necessary to protect human, animal, or plant life or health, and the ban was more restrictive than necessary to achieve the desired level of protection.[12]
Mexico will likely struggle to justify its GMO ban. The Mexican government cited concerns regarding how GMOs affect human health and biodiversity, but the evidence of these threats is ambiguous at best.[13] Mexican agencies have compiled a database of information on this subject, but the amount of contradictory evidence reflects Mexico’s weak hand.[14] Without a scientific basis for this ban, Mexico will struggle to justify maintaining the ban in its current form.[15]
However, popular support remains an issue, and President Obrador could choose to maintain it after losing a USMCA dispute, though he’ll soon leave office in 2024 when new elections are held.[16] Congressman Adrian Smith notes that these consultations reflect “the continued importance of real, enforceable trade agreements” for US agriculture and other industries.[17] While the US has a strong position, it’s unclear if Mexico is willing to comply with its USMCA obligations or would rather endure whatever trade retaliation the US might impose.
Endnotes
[1] United States Requests USMCA Dispute Settlement Consultations on Mexico’s Agricultural Biotechnology Measures, USTR, available at: https://ustr.gov/about-us/policy-offices/press-office/press-releases/2023/june/united-states-requests-usmca-dispute-settlement-consultations-mexicos-agricultural-biotechnology, accessed June 9, 2023.
[2] Environmental Research Service, Recent Trends in GE Adoption, USDA, available at: https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/adoption-of-genetically-engineered-crops-in-the-u-s/recent-trends-in-ge-adoption/, accessed June 9, 2023.
[3] Adriana Barrera, Exclusive: Mexico says it won't modify decree on GM corn ahead of USMCA panel, Reuters, available at: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/mexico-says-wont-modify-decree-gm-corn-ahead-usmca-panel-2023-08-21/, accessed September 20, 2023.
[4] Decreto sobre glifosato, Diario Oficial de la Federación [DOF] 31-12-2020 (Mex.); see also Decreto por el que se establecen diversas acciones en materia de glifosato y maíz genéticamente modificado, Diario Oficial de la Federación [DOF] 13-02-2023 (Mex.); see alsoPronunciamiento de la Campaña Nacional Sin Maíz No Hay País frente al decreto del 14 de febrero de 2023 que deroga el del 31 de diciembre del 2020, El Poder Del Consumidor, available at: https://elpoderdelconsumidor.org/2023/02/pronunciamiento-de-la-campana-nacional-sin-maiz-no-hay-pais-frente-al-decreto-del-14-de-febrero-de-2023-que-deroga-el-del-31-de-diciembre-del-2020/, accessed June 9, 2023.
[5] Barrera, supra note 3.
[6] Dana Cronin, Corn has deep roots in Mexico. Now efforts to ban GMO corn place culture and trade at odds, Nebraska Public Media, available at: https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/corn-has-deep-roots-in-mexico-now-efforts-to-ban-gmo-corn-place-culture-and-trade-at-odds/, last accessed September 20, 2023; Kate Linthicum, Why is AMLO one of the world’s most popular politicians? We took a road trip through Mexico to find out, LA Times, available at: https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2022-12-19/why-is-mexicos-amlo-one-of-the-worlds-most-popular-politicians-we-took-a-road-trip-to-find-out, accessed September 20, 2023; Eyder Peralta, Mexico's ban on tortillas made using GMO corn is an argument that can be tasted, NPR, available at: https://www.npr.org/2023/07/03/1185864062/mexicos-ban-on-tortillas-made-using-gmo-corn-is-an-argument-that-can-be-tasted, accessed September 20, 2023.
[7] Letter from 62 members of the House of Representatives to US Trade Representative Katherine Tai (June 1, 2023) (available on the website of Rep. Adrian Smith).
[8] United States Requests USMCA Dispute Settlement Consultations on Mexico’s Agricultural Biotechnology Measures, USTR, available at: https://ustr.gov/about-us/policy-offices/press-office/press-releases/2023/june/united-states-requests-usmca-dispute-settlement-consultations-mexicos-agricultural-biotechnology, accessed June 9, 2023.
[9] Ministers Bibeau and Ng Statement on Mexican measures that impact Agricultural Innovation, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, available at: https://www.canada.ca/en/agriculture-agri-food/news/2023/06/ministers-bibeau-and-ng-statement-on-mexican-measures-that-impact-agricultural-innovation.html, accessed June 9, 2023; see also Carolina Pulice, Canada says will join as third party in US-Mexico dispute over GM corn imports, Reuters, available at: https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/canada-says-will-join-third-party-us-mexico-dispute-over-gm-corn-imports-2023-08-25/, accessed November 21, 2023.
[10] United States Requests USMCA Dispute Settlement, supra note 5; see also United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement art. 9.6.3, 9.6.6(b), Nov. 30, 2018, Pub. L. 116–113.
[11] United States Requests USMCA Dispute Settlement, supra note 5; see also United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement art. 9.6.7, 9.6.8, Nov. 30, 2018, Pub. L. 116–113.
[12] United States Requests USMCA Dispute Settlement, supra note 5; see also United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement art. 9.6.6(a), 9.6.10, Nov. 30, 2018, Pub. L. 116–113.
[13] Conahcyt Mexico, Webinario - Evidencias y mecanismos de daño a la salud asociado al maíz transgénico y glifosato, YouTube, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75eB8WtDDvU, accessed June 12, 2023; see also Informe de avances para el cumplimiento del Decreto sobre glifosato, Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales 11-11-2022 (Mex.), formato PDF, https://www.gob.mx/semarnat/documentos/informe-de-avances-para-el-cumplimiento-del-decreto-sobre-glifosato?idiom=es, accessed June 12, 2023; see also B. Tomson, Mexico makes its case against GM white corn, Agri-Pulse, available at: https://www.agri-pulse.com/articles/19191-mexico-makes-its-case-against-gm-white-corn, accessed June 12, 2023.
[14] Compare Efectos nocivos del herbicida glifosato, CONACYT, available at: https://conahcyt.mx/cibiogem/index.php/sistema-nacional-de-informacion/documentos-y-actividades-en-bioseguridad/repositorio-glifosato?pagina=25&busqueda=, accessed June 12, 2023, with Understanding New Plant Varieties FDA, available at: https://www.fda.gov/food/food-new-plant-varieties/understanding-new-plant-varieties, accessed June 28, 2023, and J. Eise, Do GMOS Harm Health?: Interview with Dr. Peter Goldsbrough, Professor of Botany and Plant Pathology at Purdue University, available at: https://ag.purdue.edu/gmos/gmos-health.html, accessed July 6, 2023.
[15] B. Tomson, US-Mexico dispute may stretch on for months, but US confident in outcome, Agri-Pulse, available at: https://www.agri-pulse.com/articles/19522-us-mexico-dispute-may-stretch-on-for-months-but-us-confident-in-outcome, accessed June 12, 2023.
[16] Fabiola Sanchez, Heirloom corn in a rainbow of colors makes a comeback in Mexico, where white corn has long been king, Associated Press, available at: https://apnews.com/article/heirloom-native-gmo-corn-mexico-trade-dispute-946c741492660c46287375e4db299144, accessed August 13, 2023; Adriana Barrera and Cassandra Garrison, Exclusive: Mexican official says US refuses to cooperate on GM corn studies, Reuters, available at: https://www.reuters.com/science/mexican-official-says-us-refuses-cooperate-gm-corn-studies-2023-08-03/, accessed August 13, 2023.
[17] Press Release from Congressman Adrian Smith (June 2, 2023) (available on the website of Rep. Adrian Smith).
Turner is a third-year law student. He is originally from Kearney, Nebraska, and after graduation, he plans to practice international business law. He is also excited to resume his research in the field of historical sociology.