Canada to Litigate With Mexico Over the Ban on GMO Corn

On Friday, Canada accused Mexico of not respecting the Mexico-United States-Canada Treaty Treaty (T-MEC) due to the prohibition of the use of transgenic corn in products for human consumption.

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Through a joint statement, International Trade Minister Mary Ng and Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay said that "Canada shares the concerns of the U.S. that Mexico is not complying" with its obligations under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

"Canada believes that the measures taken by Mexico are not supported by science and could potentially unnecessarily disrupt trade in the North American market."

On February 13, Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) issued a decree banning the use of transgenic corn in tortillas and other products for human and animal consumption.

In August, the U.S. requested the creation of an arbitration panel that will decide on the legality of Mexico's ban. After Washington's decision, President Lopez Obrador denied that his countrywas violating the T-MEC.

"We are not violating the treaty because it establishes that when there are differences you can go to the panels. It is a good opportunity to review this. We are not going to allow transgenic corn to be used to feed the people of Mexico," AMLO said last week.

The arbitration panel would be in charge of determining whether or not the Mexican policy on transgenic corn is incompatible with the tripartite trade agreement. Should the panel rule in favor of Washington, Mexican products could be subject to tariffs.