Jan 11, 2023

Vilsack: No compromise with Mexico on GMO corn

Posted Jan 11, 2023 5:05 PM

After a speech at the American Farm Bureau’s annual convention, Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack said there will be no compromise when it comes to the Mexican corn situation.

The U.S. won’t back down or compromise on its stance against Mexico’s plan to ban imports of genetically modified yellow corn.

Vilsack says the American government is supposed to reply by January 15 to Mexico’s proposal to delay the ban until 2025.

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai has spoken to her Mexican counterpart about the dispute. Speaking to reporters at the AFBF convention, Vilsack said that if Mexico doesn’t agree to withdraw its import ban, the White House will then push the USMCA on trade rules.

Vilsack told Mexico’s President Lopez Obrador that he won’t be able to find enough non-GMO corn to import and feed the country’s livestock sector. The larger issue is about a trading system with “less friction,” not more friction.