In an unprecedented move, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) have warned that they may take legal action against Mexico if it continues to refuse to buy genetically modified organisms (GMOs) after 2024. In a statement released Monday, USTR Chief Agricultural Negotiator Doug McKalip and USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Alexis Taylor expressed “serious concerns” about Mexico’s agricultural biotechnology policies.

Trying to Force feed GMO Corn to Mexico

The USTR and USDA allege that Mexico has violated its obligations under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) by refusing to purchase GMO corn from the United States. According to McKalip and Taylor, this has caused “significant harm” to American farmers who are now unable to sell their corn in Mexico. Furthermore, they argued that Mexico is using its policies as a way to protect its domestic corn industry from competition.

In response, the USTR and USDA have threatened legal action unless Mexico agrees to begin purchasing GMO corn from American farmers. They argue that this would be necessary in order for them to uphold their commitments under the USMCA, which is meant to promote free trade between North American countries. However, many are concerned about how this could affect bilateral relations between the United States and Mexico if it were to become a reality.

AMERICAN CORN WARS

It remains unclear whether or not legal action will be taken against Mexico over its refusal to purchase GMO corn from American farms. However, it is clear that the USTR and USDA are taking a hard stance on this issue. If no resolution is reached soon, then it is likely that some form of legal action could be taken against Mexico in order to force it into buying GMO corn from American farms. This could have far-reaching implications for both countries’ economies as well as their bilateral relationship going forward.