After almost two years of back and forth between the parties, a U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement Dispute Settlement Panel recently announced its ruling on a U.S. challenge of Mexico’s ban of U.S. biotech corn imports.
In a March 2023 senate hearing, Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Alexis Taylor spoke about the potential ban by Mexico.
In April 2023 the United States called for a U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement Dispute Settlement Panel to put the issue to rest. Last Friday the USMCA panel ruled in agreement with all 7 U.S. legal claims that Mexico’s ban was not science based and limited market access.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in a press release said “This decision ensures that U.S. producers and exporters will continue to have full and fair access to the Mexican market, and is a victory for fair, open, and science- and rules-based trade, which serves as the foundation of the USMCA as it was agreed to by all parties. It is also a victory for the countries around the world growing and using products of agricultural biotechnology to feed their growing populations and adapt to a changing planet.”
Based on USMCA rules, Mexico has 45 days following the ruling date to comply with the panel’s findings.
