Mexico against GM corn: reform may strain relations with the US

Mexico’s lower house of Congress on Tuesday approved a constitutional reform that bans the cultivation of genetically modified (GM) corn. The decision could provoke new tensions in relations with the US after the recent settlement of a trade dispute, analysts say. Reuters reports.

The ban was initiated by President Claudia Sheinbaum. Her initiative came after an arbitration panel within the USMCA (United States-Mexico-Canada) trade agreement ruled in December that Mexican restrictions on the import of GM corn violate the agreement.

As a result, Mexico lifted a ban on the import of GM corn for food, industrial and feed needs. At the same time, the country has already banned the commercial cultivation of such corn varieties, arguing that it risks contaminating local traditional grains. Now, Sheinbaum has initiated the introduction of this ban into the Constitution.

The reform was approved by 409 votes to 69. It states that local corn is an “element of national identity” and prohibits the cultivation of GM corn in Mexico.

“Any other use of genetically modified corn must be evaluated … in terms of the potential threat to biosecurity, health and biocultural heritage of Mexico and its people,” the document says.

The document still needs to be approved by the Senate.

Mexico imports about $5 billion worth of GM corn from the United States each year, mainly for animal feed.

Some analysts warn that the reform could spark a new conflict with the United States, as it concerns not only the cultivation but also the use of GM corn in general.

The consulting firm GCMA notes that the Mexican government’s decision to tighten restrictions creates “uncertainty” in relations with the United States, which is Mexico’s main supplier of yellow corn.

“Following the unfavorable ruling of the USMCA arbitration panel, Mexico’s insistence on imposing these restrictions is likely to provoke corresponding measures from the U.S. government,” the GCMA report says.

Tags: Mexico, corn, USA, restrictions