Canada is deeply concerned about Mexico’s recent departure from its longstanding approach to regulating genetically modified crops.

The slide began in 2018 with the election of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, also known as AMLO, as President of Mexico.

Part of his platform was a commitment to ban glyphosate and genetically modified corn by 2024. He issued a presidential decree to that effect on Dec. 31, 2020.

AMLO’s decree received backlash from growers and exporters in the United States and Canada.

Mexico is the top export market for U.S. corn. The country imported 5.82 million tonnes in the period from September 2022 through January 2023. That represents 42 percent of total U.S. sales for that time.

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Canada and the United States have both requested technical consultations with Mexico about its new phytosanitary policy as allowed for under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement.

“We are working with Mexico towards an outcome that preserves trade predictability for biotechnology approvals and market access for genetically modified products,” Shanti Cosentino, press secretary for Canadian international trade minister Mary Ng, said in an email.

The parties have 180 days to resolve the issue before taking the next step, which is a formal dispute settlement process.

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