The U.S. Successfully Bullies Mexico to Take Its Genetically-Modified Corn
Mexicans love corn, and their consumption continues to increase. This is why Mexico has had to rely on importing the grain, especially from the United States. The importation was to offset the continual increase in corn consumption. However, the Mexican government tried to step in to save its citizens from potentially harmful products from the U.S. In a legal battle that lasted years, the U.S. won. And Mexico will now be importing GMO corn that it claims will harm its citizens’ health.
Mexico will now have to import GMO grain from the United States
The fight to prevent the mass consumption of genetically modified corn and ban the use of the herbicide glyphosate started in 2020. Then-Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador signed a decree declaring an end to the use of glyphosate on food for human consumption. Due to delays, the measure was not implemented until 2024. It immediately hit a roadblock when the U.S. filed a trade dispute against the Mexican government.
The U.S. routinely uses glyphosate as an herbicide in the agriculture industry. Mexico banning the importation and use of corn with that herbicide would spell disaster for the U.S. Mexico is the largest importer of corn from the U.S. In 2023, Mexico imported 18.6 million metric tons of corn from the U.S., mainly for livestock. The ban alluded to the future banning of genetically modified corn for livestock use.
The U.S. bullied Mexico to force the country to import corn
Due to the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the U.S. argued that Mexico had no right to dictate what was imported into the country. With this argument, the U.S. effectively bullied Mexico and will now force it to import genetically modified corn, overruling the sovereign nation’s ability to safeguard its citizens’ health.
The ruling, which came from a trade dispute panel, claims that Mexico’s decision to ban genetically modified corn violates the USMCA. Thus, Mexico has no say in what kind of corn is imported if it buys corn from the U.S. Currently, Mexico has imported $4.8 billion worth of corn from the U.S. for both human and livestock consumption.
“The Government of Mexico does not agree with the Panel’s decision, as it considers that the measures in question are aligned with the principles of public health protection and the rights of Indigenous peoples,” the agencies said, according to Reuters.
Nonetheless, Mexico will comply with the panel’s ruling that it must bring its corn trade policies back into compliance with the USMCA within 45 days, or it will violate the agreement.
The USMCA replaces the long-standing North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which established a free-trade zone in North America, easing tariffs. The USMCA is the product of President-elect Trump’s 2020 strategy. However, in reality, it’s just the same thing as NAFTA but with a different name. As President-elect Donald Trump threatens to increase tariffs for no reason, it will be interesting to see what happens with USMCA. Will the tariffs violate the agreement that President-elect Trump copied and pasted from NAFTA? Time will tell.
