Little room for compromise in U.S.-Mexico corn dispute – USDA official

Mexico’s plan to limit imports of genetically modified corn is “not a situation that lends itself to a compromise,” U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said on Thursday. The United States said earlier this month that it was “disappointed” in the Mexican government’s latest decree to ban the corn for human consumption.

The U.S. Trade Representative will begin a process “very soon” that will facilitate talks between the countries under food safety provisions of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement on trade, Vilsack said at a USDA conference.

If the talks do not lead to a resolution, the next step would be a formal process under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), Vilsack said.

A spokeswoman for Mexico’s economy ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A spokesperson for USTR did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Vilsack’s remarks.

The U.S. had given Mexico a Feb. 14 deadline to explain the science behind its proposed ban on the use of genetically modified corn for human consumption. The country instead responded by walking back part of its initial decree, Vilsack said.

“From our perspective, you’re talking about a fundamental principle to our understanding of trade,” he said. “We need a science-based, rules-based system.”

Tags: Mexico, imports, genetically modified corn, The United States, U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, USMCA