Mexico’s ban on genetically modified corn in tortillas and dough has triggered a trade dispute with the United States and Canada, raising questions about the safety of GM crops and the future of agriculture.
By yourNEWS Media Staff
Mexico’s decision to ban genetically modified (GM) corn in tortillas and dough has sparked a trade dispute with the United States and Canada, with the US seeking to force GM corn into Mexico. The dispute centers around the safety of GM corn, with Mexico arguing that it poses a threat to human health and ancient strains of maize, while the US maintains that it is safe.
The US Trade Representatives argue that GM seed is used in 90 percent of US crops, and a ban on GM corn in Mexico could have far-reaching effects on the US agricultural sector, as well as on German and Chinese companies that make and sell those seeds.
Canada and the United States have opposed Mexico’s ban. For the past 25 years, Mexico has prohibited the cultivation of GM corn domestically to protect citizen health and preserve ancient maize strains. Corn is crucial to the Mexican diet, appearing in 89 percent of meals.
Corn is a staple crop eaten in 89 percent of Mexican meals, and the country has concerns about the long-term safety of GM corn, particularly when eaten at high levels. The United States has largely disregarded health concerns arising from GM crops and has spent the past year working to prove Mexico’s 2023 decree violates the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
The restrictions, originally slated to go into effect this year, set off a disagreement now in the hands of a USMCA trade panel after Mexico and the United States failed to resolve it through negotiations. The United States contends that there’s no scientific evidence that GM corn is unsafe to eat, while Mexico says the United States hasn’t presented any evidence of GM corn’s long-term safety.
The trade disagreement highlights clashing ideological values and interests, with Mexico concerned for public health and Indigenous maize, and the United States aiming to protect American farmers, food security, and the future of agricultural biotechnology. Ultimately, the three-member USMCA panel has to sort through the arguments, science, and finer points of Indigenous legal rights to make a decision.
The Canadian Biotechnology Action Network, a group that raises education about the genetic engineering of food, was originally invited to share its opinion with the trade tribunal, but the offer was rescinded at the request of the US and Canadian governments.
Mexico filed a 200-page response to the US trade violation complaint, which many observers say fulfilled the onus of its argument. It offered 66 articles in peer-reviewed journals pointing to GM corn’s associated health risks, including increased damage to organs, cancer, antibiotic resistance, and reduced nutritional content.
Mexico’s decree also included a ban on glyphosate originally intended to go into effect on April 1, but the government pushed back that date while researching alternatives available in suitable quantities. GM corn is tightly wed to glyphosate, the key ingredient in RoundUp and other herbicides, as one of the most prominent traits in GM corn is resistance to glyphosate.
The American Farm Bureau Federation said the dispute touches lives on both sides of the border, denying “families in Mexico safe and affordable food.” The United States turned down a proposal to do a joint study with Mexico on the health impacts of GM corn in early attempts to settle the trade disagreement.
The United States had until March 26 to file its rebuttal with the trade tribunal. The Mexican section of the secretariat for the USCMA told The Epoch Times on April 2 that it had not received the United States rebuttal, and that the “parties are in the process of revising the timeline,” which will be published when the new schedule is approved. A final decision in the dispute is expected by November.
Several non-governmental organizations were asked to present their perspectives to the trade panel. Some were accepted and have begun making those documents public. One of those is the Center for Food Safety (CFS), a non-profit public interest and environmental advocacy organization aimed at protecting human health. CFS raised issues with the trustworthiness of the US regulatory system.
The CFS said Mexico shouldn’t be expected to rely on the claims offered by the United States that GM corn is safe because there is no oversight in the “sham” US regulatory system that’s filled with “loopholes” and “inconsistencies.” CFS shared its report online on March 24.
CFS points to the US Food and Drug Administration’s plant biotechnology consultation program, which puts the onus of safety on the backs of corporations manufacturing the food. “When governmental review is optional; and even when it’s conducted, starts and ends with the regulated company’s safety assurances—what’s the point?” Bill Freese, science director of CFS and biotech regulation expert, asked in a news release. “The aim is to quell concerns and promote acceptance of GMOs, domestically and abroad, rather than critically evaluate potential toxicity or allergenicity.”
The United States has stood by its argument that GM safety has been proven, and supporters of the Office of the United States Trade Representative’s (USTR) action criticize Mexico for not practicing sound science. However, others argue that the United States hasn’t acted in good faith to resolve the matter and that adapting the type of white corn it grows and exports to Mexico to be free of genetic engineering could allow a compromise that might benefit both countries.
Links:
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