Congress Fluffs Feathers over Biotech Corn
It’s time for your Southeast Regional Ag News. On the Ag Information Network, I am Haylie Shipp.
I get it, here in the southeast, we are not the biggest producers of corn in the U.S. But, there is a situation unfolding in Mexico that I think is important to watch for anybody that does trade with our neighbors to the south. It’s dealing with a ban on biotech corn.
Twenty-four members of the House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee have now sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai about Mexico. They want a resolution to a lingering trade dispute with the country over biotech corn imports.
“We’ve been working closely with Congress on this issue, and it’s inspiring to see congressional champions faithfully taking up the mantle,” says National Corn Growers Association President Tom Haag. “These members are now looking to Ambassador Tai to uphold the integrity of USMCA.”
That acronym, of course, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. It entered into full force on July 1 of 2020 substituting the North America Free Trade Agreement.
The letter is the latest development and response from U.S. officials as the ag community braces for a fallout if Mexico follows through on its promise to ban biotech corn shipments in early 2024. Ninety percent of U.S. corn is biotech.
