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Iowa Ag Secretary: Mexico does not have “a leg to stand on” with GM corn ban

Mexico is preparing to defend its proposed ban of genetically modified corn imports as part of a trade dispute settlement process under the U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement and Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig says the Mexican government “doesn’t have a leg to stand on.”

“That’s part of the process, right. You get a chance to make your case. I think that we all know, certainly the American farmer knows, the safety record is there on these products.”

Naig, who recently returned from a trade mission to Mexico, tells Brownfield the science is behind biotechnology.

“I think there’s reason to be confident that this will be resolved in our favor. But these are the types of things that underscore why it’s so important to have formal trade agreements so that you can work through these things.”

The U.S. and Mexico will present oral arguments as part of the USMCA dispute settlement process in June, with a final report expected in November.