Farm Progress America, Dec. 30, 2024

Mike Pearson takes a look at the ruling by a USMCA dispute panel last week.

The decision is being called a significant victory for U.S. corn producers and trade advocates.

The panel provides oversight over the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

The panel agreed that Mexico violated the trade agreement with the proposed ban on GMO corn from the USA. This ban would have impacted the corn used for tortillas greatly.

The USMCA panel agreed with the U.S. finding that Mexico’s ban on importing genetically modified corn was not based on science and undermined the market access that Mexico agreed to provide through the USMCA.

Thee dispute goes back to 2020 when Mexico announced it would phase out GMO corn based on health and environmental concerns.

Earlier this year, the Mexican government issued the decree that would have hurt U.S. corn producers and made a direct threat to the market.

This decision ensures U.S. farmers will still have access to their largest corn export market.

Farm Progress America is a daily look at key issues in agriculture. It is produced and presented by Mike Pearson, farm broadcaster and host of This Week in Agribusiness .