Mexico moves closer to a devastating policy for US agricultural exports
Mexico is set to phase out the herbicide glyphosate and all biotech corn for human consumption by the beginning of 2024. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says he has been “reassured” by his Mexican counterpart that the ban won’t hurt U.S. corn exports — but that’s little comfort to domestic growers who are watching the health regulator in Mexico, their largest export market, exercise an apparent bias against the herbicide and seed varieties used in the United States for the past several decades.
The move coincides with efforts by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to boost corn production of relatively small Mexican farms. Both U.S. farmers and Mexico’s poorest consumers stand to lose out.
Congress has long had its eye on the looming clash with Mexico over biotech exports. In a letter last year, 76 members from both parties urged President Biden to “prioritize US agricultural biotechnology competitiveness” in talks with Mexico City and to “use the enforcement tools provided to you in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement to secure fair treatment for American agricultural producers and rural communities.”
Farmers in the United States and around the world use glyphosate (often known by the brand name Roundup) to kill weeds before planting corn feed for livestock, and to speed the harvest of some grain and other crops. If you are a homeowner, chances are it is also in some of your lawn and gardening care products. The Environmental Protection Agency has found “no risks of concern to human health when glyphosate is used in accordance with its current label.”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/mexico-moves-closer-to-a-devastating-policy-for-us-agricultural-exports/ar-AA13uijb
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