Ag economists at The Ohio State University predict a U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement dispute settlement panel over biotech corn would rule in favor of the United States. The U.S. Trade Representative’s Office recently requested technical consultations with Mexico under the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Chapter of USMCA.
The dispute has its origins in a decree issued by Mexico calling for GM corn for human consumption to be phased out by the end of January 2024. Given Mexico is the second-largest export market for U.S. corn totaling $4.792 billion in 2022, the original decree ratcheted up trade tensions between the two countries.
Following U.S. pressure, Mexico scrapped the 2024 deadline banning GM corn for animal feed and industrial use on February 13, 2023, while retaining the ban on its use for human consumption.
The experts say that if a panel investigation goes ahead, “our expectation is that it will rule in favor of the United States.”
