CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, US — Mexico’s plan to ban imports of genetically modified (GMO) corn will apply to grain used for animal food and not livestock feed, US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said based on conversations with the Mexican ag secretary, Reuters reported.
Limiting the ban to food products makes a big difference to US farmers, Vilsack said during a virtual event hosted by the National Press Club. He said the ban won’t have as great an impact as it would have if everything was included in the ban.
Vilsack said US Trade Representative Katherine Tai also has addressed the plan with Mexico and that there is a process under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) for raising such issues, Reuters said.
Last year, Mexico published an executive order to ban in three years the use of GMO corn for human consumption. It did not define which products would be included.
Victor Suarez, Mexico’s deputy agriculture minister, told Reuters last month the plan covers all food that “will eventually reach human consumption.”
