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Missouri delegation wants dispute panel for GMO corn ban

A delegation of Missouri lawmakers said Mexico’s biotech corn ban will damage reliable market access for the state’s corn farmers.

In a letter to Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, nine lawmakers asked the Biden administration to pursue a formal dispute settlement panel under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. They said aggressively enforcing USMCA sends a clear signal about baseless trade barriers.

The Missouri Department of Agriculture says corn is Missouri’s second largest ag export, totaling $443 million in 2021. U.S. Representative Mark Alford and Sam Graves and Senators Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt and several others signed the letter.