U.S. corn growers are still counting their blessings after the USMCA dispute panel sided with the U.S. in the battle over biotech corn.
Groups say the win sets a strong precedent.
“It is so much more important than just our bilateral relationship with Mexico. It is really on the principles that the global trading system has been built upon, science-based, rules-based, transparent regulatory systems. So it’s important, not just I think for our corn export,s for the use of these technologies bilaterally, but also I think how global trade is going to continue to operate going forward,” said Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural AffairsAlexis Taylor.
The case was led by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and brought before a USMCA dispute panel.
“The dispute panel, which is made up of persons from all three countries, decided for the U.S. on all counts. The main points of their panel decision were, one, that the Mexican measures were not based on science, and two, that what they were doing was undermining the market access that Mexico agreed to provide in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.”
Salmonsen says just two major steps await for Mexico and the U.S.
“One, within 45 days, Mexico needs to come into compliance, which probably means they will withdraw those decrees, or at least act going forward like they don’t exist, so we’ll see what form that takes. The second point is that all three countries are heading into a scheduled review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Is it really just a review of how the agreement works, or it could potentially be a renegotiation of certain elements.”
