Recently, the Mexican government announced that the ban on glyphosate containing herbicides, originally scheduled to be implemented by the end of this month, will be postponed until alternatives are found to maintain its agricultural production.
According to a government statement, the presidential decree in February 2023 extended the deadline for the glyphosate ban to March 31, 2024, subject to the availability of substitutes. The statement states that "as the conditions for replacing glyphosate in agriculture have not yet been met, the interests of maintaining national food security must be prioritized." Alternative products may include other agricultural chemicals that are harmful to health and safety, as well as weed control mechanisms that do not involve the use of herbicides.
In addition, the law also prohibits genetically modified corn from being consumed by humans and calls for the gradual elimination of genetically modified corn used for animal feed or industrial processing. Mexico stated that this move aims to protect local corn varieties. But this measure has been questioned by the United States, stating that it violates the market access rules agreed upon in the US Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA).
According to data from the US Department of Agriculture, Mexico is the preferred destination for US grain exports, importing $5.4 billion worth of US corn last year, mostly genetically modified corn. To resolve the differences, the Office of the United States Trade Representative requested the establishment of a USMCA dispute resolution panel in August last year, and the differences between the two sides regarding the ban on genetically modified corn need to be further negotiated and resolved.
It is worth mentioning that Mexico has been banning glyphosate and genetically modified crops for several years. As early as June 2020, the Mexican Ministry of Environment announced that it would ban glyphosate containing herbicides by 2024; In 2021, although the court temporarily lifted the injunction, it was subsequently dismissed; In the same year, the Mexican court also rejected the Agricultural Commission's request to cease the aforementioned ban.
Source: AgroPages
