US-Mexico GM corn dispute to be resolved this year -chief agricultural negotiator

By Leah Douglas

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. trade dispute with Mexico over genetically modified corn is expected to be resolved by the end of this year, U.S. Chief Agricultural Negotiator Doug McKalip said on Wednesday.

Mexico published a presidential decree in 2020 that said the country would ban GM corn from human diets, arguing it threatens the country's native corn varieties and could pose a threat to human health.

In August, the U.S. requested a dispute panel under the North American trade pact, arguing the Mexican decree is not based on science and violates its trade commitments.

"This (case) is about a lot more than biotech corn. It’s about making sure that nations adhere to the provisions of the trade agreements they’ve already signed and making sure we stick to science as the underpinning of trade," McKalip said at the conference of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture.

Mexico buys about $5 billion of U.S. GM corn each year, most for livestock feed.

The dispute panel's members and chair have been selected and arguments before the panel have been scheduled for later in 2024, McKalip said.

Spokespeople for Mexico’s agriculture ministry and economy ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Leah Douglas in Washington; additional reporting by Cassandra Garrison in Mexico City; editing by Jane Merriman and Chris Reese)