46. Defending Biotech Corn on the International Stage: An Update On the USMCA Dispute Over Mexico’s Ban

Ever since Mexico issued a decree that banned genetically modified corn, there's been confusion and concerns from growers and policymakers alike here in the United States. Mexico is the number one market for U.S. corn growers by a wide margin, and over 90% of the corn that's planted in the United States is biotech. Accordingly, Mexico's decree threatens market access and adds a great deal of legal uncertainty for our corn growers. And ever since the decree was announced, organizations like the National Corn Growers Association, the Corn Refiners Association and the U.S. Grains Council have been leveraging every opportunity to push back. Recently, those efforts resulted in a trade dispute settlement hearing under the USMCA, which represents the best opportunity to reverse this destructive trade policy. So in this episode, we're going to revisit the history of the ban, explore the arguments that were made in the dispute settlement hearing, and discuss what it all means for farmers. Our guests include: Andrew Brandt, the director of trade policy for the U.S. Grains Council Heidi Bringenberg, the U.S. Grains Council’s country director for Mexico Kristy Goodfellow, the vice president of trade and industry affairs for the Corn Refiners Association Nancy Martinez, the National Corn Growers Association's director of public policy, trade and biotechnology We'll also hear about the U.S. Grains Council's work to maintain relations in Mexico, in a segment that is sponsored by Corteva Agriscience.