Agriculture Groups Say Mexican Trade Relationship Deteriorating
The American Farm Bureau Federation, along with meat, dairy, corn, soybean and other exporters from 27 organizations in all are telling Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai that the agriculture trade relationship with Mexico “has declined markedly, a trend USMCA’s implementation has not reversed.” They said in a March 22 letter that they're particularly concerned about the glyphosate ban and the ban on genetically modified corn for human consumption; mandatory Conformity Assessment Procedures for cheeses; and the requirement for organic foods to be certified under Mexican standards by June. “This is an extraordinarily short timeline for implementation. If this policy is enforced, U.S organic producers will experience significant trade disruptions as certification can take a year or more for organic companies to become certified to a new organic standard,” they wrote.
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They also complained about nutrition education measures Mexico is undertaking, including calling high fructose corn syrup poison and new package labeling requirements to warn consumers about high amounts of calories, sugar, sodium and saturated fat in drinks and package foods. (Mexico has the second-highest obesity rate in the world.)
The agricultural trade groups did note that U.S. attempts to curb Mexican exports of fresh produce does not contribute to a healthy bilateral trade relationship.
“Until the U.S. International Trade Commission ... voted on February 11 to find there is not serious injury to U.S. blueberry producers from imports, 44% of Mexico’s fresh produce exports to the U.S. were under investigation. Monitoring investigations continue regarding imports of strawberries, bell peppers, squash and cucumbers, respectively, and blueberry producers are seeking protection through political intervention,” they wrote. “As you address the struggles of U.S. seasonal produce farmers, we respectfully urge you to explore a variety of other means of enhancing their competitiveness.”