ST. LOUIS, MO – More fallout continues from the latest announcement from Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador that would end imports of corn grown using biotechnology and certain herbicide tools by 2024.
The response from U.S. corn growers includes a request for the United States Trade Representative Catherine Tai to intervene in the pending trade dispute with the southern neighbor.
Currently, more than 90 percent of corn grown in the U.S. is classified as biotech. The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) explains that Bt corn has reduced the need for insecticide sprays to control insects during the growing season, while herbicide-tolerant traits have provided more options for growers to control weeds, reducing the need for tillage and contributing to a 58 percent reduction in soil loss per acre (from 1980 – 2015).
“If the decree is enacted, the negative impact will be felt by farmers in the U.S. and by the people of Mexico,” NCGA President Tom Haag noted. “We’re now looking to the Biden administration to intervene to ensure that corn exports to Mexico don’t come to a sudden stop.”
The group says a simple USMCA dispute settlement would allow for extensive debate and mediation and would head off a calamitous outcome.
(SOURCE: All Ag News)
