WASHINGTON, November 28, 2022 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack launched the next assertion after his assembly with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on the U.S.- Mexico bilateral commerce relationship and its significance for U.S. farmers, ranchers and producers:
“We respect the President welcoming us to Mexico and fascinating in a productive dialogue. The conferences offered a venue to boost america Authorities’s and our producers’ deep issues round President López Obrador’s 2020 decree to part out the use and importation of biotech corn and different biotechnology merchandise by January 2024. The President’s phase-out decree has the potential to considerably disrupt commerce, hurt farmers on either side of the border and considerably improve prices for Mexican customers.
“We should discover a manner ahead quickly and I emphasised in no unsure phrases that – absent acceptable decision of the difficulty – the U.S. Authorities can be pressured to contemplate all choices, together with taking formal steps to implement our authorized rights below the USMCA.
“We made it abundantly clear that Mexico’s import ban would trigger each huge financial losses for Mexico’s agricultural industries and residents, in addition to place an unjustified burden on U.S. farmers. This can be a critically essential subject for U.S. farmers, who’re rightfully and deeply involved in regards to the decree. The decree would even have important impression on the U.S.-Mexico commerce relationship, which hit a document worth of greater than $63 billion in two-way commerce in 2021 and is anticipated to be even increased in 2022. The phase-out of biotechnology merchandise, as outlined within the decree, may additionally stifle the essential improvements we have to assist our farmers adapt to a altering local weather.
“The USA Division of Agriculture and the broader U.S. Authorities have constantly and proactively pursued cooperation and session with Mexico to resolve this subject and time is now operating brief. Some progress was made at present. For instance, President López Obrador reaffirmed the significance of yellow corn imports for Mexico’s meals safety. He additionally mentioned a possible course of through which we are able to trade info and interact in dialogue assuring the protection of biotechnology merchandise. We anticipate to have a proposal from the President’s workforce quickly and we are going to consider intently. Whereas we wouldn’t have an answer in hand, we are going to proceed to interact with Mexico on this essential subject.”
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