Mexico Moves to Ban GM Corn Planting: Ensuring Biodiversity Amid Trade Tensions

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum anticipates that Congress will approve a ban on genetically modified corn planting in early 2024. The move follows a USMCA panel ruling against Mexico's restrictions on U.S. GM corn imports. The ban is aimed at preserving Mexico's biodiversity.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has expressed confidence that national Congress will enact a law early next year banning the planting of genetically modified (GM) corn. Her assertion follows a trade-dispute panel ruling that Mexico's existing restrictions on U.S. GM corn imports breach the USMCA trade agreement.

In her statement on Saturday, Sheinbaum underscored her commitment to reversing the panel's resolution, predicting legislative action by February. The ruling party's dominance in Congress boosts the likelihood of passing such legislation, aimed at safeguarding Mexico's biodiversity, where corn holds significant cultural and agricultural importance.

While a ban could bolster supplies of non-GM corn within Mexico, it would not stop the importation of GM varieties. This tension highlights ongoing debates over GM crops, adopted widely in some countries but contested in terms of their environmental and health impacts. The issue escalated when the U.S. urged the reversal of Mexico's February ban on GM corn, citing treaty violations.

(With inputs from agencies.)