WASHINGTON, DC, US — The United States has made a strong case in the dispute with Mexico over genetically modified corn under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), a top official in the Biden administration told farmers recently during remarks at the National Corn Growers Association’s (NCGA) Corn Congress meeting in Washington, DC.

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

“This is something we will not rest until we get done,” said Ambassador Doug McKalip, who serves as the chief agricultural negotiator in the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR). “I know this is critically important, not just for corn growers, but frankly, farmers of all kinds. They say ‘we cannot allow trading partners to play loose with the science. If they can do it with corn, they can do it with anything.’”

McKalip said both US and Mexican officials were given questions in writing by the panel considering the matter and both have responded. He said a decision is expected this fall.

After Mexico announced its intent to block imports of GM corn, NCGA and corn grower leaders sounded the alarm. The USTR worked with growers as it filed a dispute settlement case on the issue under the USMCA.

Mexico’s President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, who will take office on Oct. 1, has said she will focus on growing the nation’s agri-food surplus with the idea of increasing agricultural exports. US trade associations and analysts are hopeful she can bring an end to the trade dispute that started under current president Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

McKalip also addressed other trade issues during his remarks.

“We have continued to be frustrated by the 18% tariffs that Brazil has placed on ethanol,” McKalip noted. “Today, we still do not have one US biofuel company that has qualified for the Brazilian program.”

McKalip said USTR values trade with China but also is focused on diversifying its Asian trade portfolio. He said the United States is looking at cultivating markets in Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia, among other countries.

Corn Congress meets every summer in the nation’s capital to vote on policy positions, elect new board members and to hear from the nation’s top leaders.