WASHINGTON — United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai has announced that the United States has prevailed in its dispute under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) challenging certain Mexican biotechnology measures concerning genetically engineered (GE) corn. The USMCA panel agreed with the United States on all seven legal claims, finding that Mexico’s measures are not based on science and undermine the market access that Mexico agreed to provide in the USMCA.
“We commend the dispute settlement panel for its thorough and impartial assessment, which affirms that Mexico’s approach to biotechnology was not based on scientific principles or international standards. Mexico’s measures ran counter to decades’ worth of evidence demonstrating the safety of agricultural biotechnology, underpinned by science- and risk-based regulatory review systems,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “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.”
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