It’s officially a food fight.
On June 2, the U.S. filed for consultations with Mexico over its bans on genetically-modified (GM) corn and the herbicide glyphosate, invoking rules under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). On June 9, Canada announced it will join as a “third party,” and is siding with the U.S.
The U.S. and Canada will argue that Mexico’s bans are unscientific. Mexico will argue about bees, biodiversity and the environment. This same food fight is playing out around the globe, which is why the United States needs the legal win, as well as a convincing rebuttal of Mexico’s narrative.
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Mexico’s decrees hint at a defense. The 2020 decree invokes the “precautionary principle,” citing the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit. Mexico says the bans are needed to safeguard its environment against the unknown. This won’t fly. USMCA allows a provisional measure if the science is “insufficient.” But the science isn’t insufficient. In fact, Mexico has done many of its own studies, having authorized 177 projects to research and experiment with GM corn.
