Corn growing in a western Iowa field in August 2023. (Photo by Jared Strong/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Corn farmers in Iowa, and across the country, will have “full and fair” access to markets in Mexico after a United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, panel found Mexico’s bans on genetically engineered corn were against USMCA commitments.
The U.S. brought forward seven claims under the trade agreement in 2023 and on Dec. 20, 2024, the USMCA panel sided in favor of the U.S. claims, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Under a 2023 presidential corn decree, Mexico initiated a ban on GE corn in dough and tortillas and called for the gradual elimination of GE corn from other food sources and from animal feed.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig called the bans “baseless” and “rooted in politics” rather than science, according to a news release.
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“This dispute resolution case reinforces the value of securing free trade agreements with key partners around the globe,” Naig said in a statement. “These agreements not only secure markets for Iowa-grown products, they also outline a fair, transparent and binding dispute resolution process.”
According to USDA, Mexico is the largest corn export market for the U.S. and accounted for nearly $5 billion worth of exported corn from January through October in 2024.
Iowa Corn Growers Association President Stu Swanson called Mexico a “key trade market” for corn growers, in a press release from Iowa Corn that said farmers and leaders must work with the incoming administration to enforce the ruling.
“Iowa’s farmers rely heavily on trade and corn exports to Mexico,” Swanson said in the statement. “That’s why we joined other state and (National Corn Growers Association) grower leaders in pushing USTR to challenge this ban.”
USDA data on genetically engineered crops in the country show 95% of Iowa corn planted in 2024 was genetically engineered, which is consistent with rates in other corn production states across the country.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said in a statement the USMCA panel decision affirms U.S. allegations that Mexico’s policies were “counter to decades’ worth of evidence.”
“This decision ensures that U.S. producers and exporters will continue to have full and fair access to the Mexican market, and is a victory for fair, open, and science- and rules-based trade, which serves as the foundation of the USMCA as it was agreed to by all parties,” Vilsack said.
According to USDA, Mexico has 45 days from the final report (issued Dec. 20) to comply.
The panel, in its final report, acknowledged Mexico was “seeking to address genuine concerns in good faith” but it recommended the country do so instead with “measures based on scientific principles” and “in dialogue” with USMCA parties.
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