Press release from office of Rep. Adrian Smith
Rep. Adrian Smith (R-NE), Chairman of the Trade Subcommittee, released the following statement at the conclusion of the 75-day window established by the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) for consultations between the U.S. and Mexico on the issue of biotech corn:
“As the 75-day consultation window concludes, it’s clear Mexico has no intention of fully honoring their USMCA commitments,”said Smith. “Thankfully, because of the hard work that went into the negotiation of USMCA – a true, enforceable trade agreement – the United States has tools to hold Mexico accountable. I’m glad the Biden administration finally decided to fully deploy these enforcement mechanisms, but it’s disappointing the president has yet to speak about this and show solidarity with U.S. corn producers. Steps toward dispute settlement should have been taken sooner, but I will continue working with Ambassador Tai and Secretary Vilsack to demand a level playing field for U.S. agriculture producers. I will be closely monitoring the panel’s work and ensuring our trading partners are held accountable.”
August 16 marked the end of the 75-day window for consultations under USMCA to address Mexico’s policy towards American biotech corn exports, meaning the United States is now able to request the establishment of a dispute settlement panel to decide the case. Today, the Biden administration formally requested creation of the panel. The panel will make a final determination on whether Mexico’s policy to ban the use of American biotech corn for tortillas or dough – and ultimately ban the use of biotech corn in all products intended for human consumption and animal feed – violates USMCA.
During USMCA negotiations, Smith traveled to Montreal and Mexico City and has continuously advocated for formal dispute consultations with Mexico for their actions to ban U.S. biotech corn. Subcommittee Chairman Smith signed a letter to Ambassador Tai and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack earlier this year with Chairman Jason Smith calling for formal dispute consultations under USMCA. Last December, he and Rep. Dan Kildee also led a bipartisan letter with members of the Ways and Means Committee to Ambassador Tai requesting dispute consultations and encouraging the administration to “ensure all our trading partners maintain science-based biotech regulatory systems.”