Congressmen Adrian Smith (R-NE) and Jim Costa (D-CA) led a bipartisan group of more than 70 members in sending a letter to President Biden urging him to seek assurances from Mexican President López Obrador that Mexico will abide by the biotech provisions established in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Since 2018, biotech application approvals by Mexico have come to a standstill, impacting corn, apples, canola, cotton, soybeans, and potatoes. President López Obrador also announced the intent to phase out certain agricultural technologies, including biotech corn for human consumption, by 2024.
In addition to the uncertainty caused by these policies for American farmers and the agriculture sector, these actions violate the biotechnology provisions in the USMCA. The letter stresses the importance of the Biden Administration holding Mexico accountable using enforcement tools established by the USMCA.
Read the full letter here.
“Mexico is a critical market for Nebraska and American agriculture products alike,” said Smith. “Our farmers rely on biotech traits to increase yields, improve soil health, and improve input efficiency. We must reaffirm Mexico’s commitment to the biotech provisions in the USMCA and ensure President López Obrador’s policies to ban certain biotechnology does not come to fruition.”
This is an excerpt. Read the original post here.
