MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Tuesday he is seeking a deal with Washington after the United States threatened legal action over Mexico’s plan to ban genetically modified corn in 2024.
After meeting with Mexican officials on Monday, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said Mexico’s decree could violate the United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade pact.
Lopez Obrador clarified the ban would affect imports of genetically modified yellow corn for human consumption.
He indicated that GMO corn for animal feed would still be allowed, which has been a major concern for U.S. farmers that send about 17 million tonnes of corn to the country annually.
“Our position is not closed off,” Lopez Obrador said in a regular news conference.
Still, the United States has called for clarity and has warned of severe economic fallout from the ban.
If no deal could be reached, “there are panels,” Lopez Obrador said, referring to dispute panels under the USMCA.
The neighboring countries are already in dispute resolution talks over Lopez Obrador’s energy policies, which the United States argues violate the trade pact.
Lopez Obrador added he wanted health authorities in both countries to assess the impact of GMO corn on human health.
Vilsack said he was expecting to soon receive a proposal from Lopez Obrador to continue dialogue on the subject.
“Mexico’s import ban would cause both massive economic losses for Mexico’s agricultural industries and citizens, as well as place an unjustified burden on U.S. farmers,” Vilsack said in a statement on Monday.
The proposed ban would halve imports of yellow corn from the United States, a top Mexican official told Reuters last month.
Supporters of the ban argue genetically modified corn could contaminate Mexico’s native varieties.
(Reporting by Dave Graham, Raul Cortes and Kylie Madry; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
