The United States and Mexico are in a fight over corn. In 2023 Mexico prohibited genetically modified (GMO) corn for human consumption, out of concern for human health and biodiversity in corn plants. The U.S. challenges this in a trade panel, arguing this violates the U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement. It’s tense and has been so for years. Anxieties will peak soon. Panel decisions come in November.
Disagreements are all around. The neighbors can’t even agree what to fight about. Looking at the actual ban, called the Decree, Mexico explains it only touches GMO corn in tortillas or masa (dough). That is it, with no impacts for corn in animal feed. The U.S. claims trade in all GMO corn, for human food and livestock, is threatened. American farmers overwhelmingly grow yellow GMO corn for animal feed. It’s what Mexico imports. Mexico is self-sufficient in white corn, used in tortillas, tamales, and many dishes eaten daily.
Different points of view are planted all over this impasse. It starts with how the grain is used. In Mexico maíz (corn) is made into masa through a process called nixtamalization. Nixtamalization takes dry kernels and lime powder and soaks them overnight to break down the grain’s skin. This improves nutrients. It makes corn soft for dough. Without nixtamalization, corn can only be converted into cornmeal, a coarser product. If further processed with chemicals, cornmeal becomes an instant flour.
Corn tortillas in the U.S. typically come from this instant powder. It is shelf stable and dominates American supply. These tortillas taste cardboard-like, in comparison, and lack vital nutrients.
When México implements maíz policies for human health and sustainability it looks to white corn to be nixtamalized. This secures the country’s largest source of protein. In the U.S., complaints about GMO policies rest on entirely different experiences with lesser tortillas and another type of corn. American positions only focus on exports.
And even about that issue, the two sides see distinct things. Corn exports to Mexico have increased to record levels since the ban. The U.S. Department of Agriculture forecasts even more for 2025, driven by livestock demand. Mexico is the top buyer of American corn. It imports over three times more corn than number two Japan. These figures don’t figure into American arguments.
The two sides disagree about the policy. The Decree leaves animal feed alone. It explicitly says that Mexico’s sanitary risk commission will continue approving GMO corn for animal feed, so long as it is not for tortillas or masa. U.S. trade officials insist otherwise.
Their attorneys invented a problem they call “Substitution Instruction” in initial and rebuttal filings for the U.S. The criticism is that instructions to replace GMO corn in animal feed are unclear. This gripe is off base since the Decree does not include any replacement.
The misreading has stuck. “Substitution Instruction” was translated in Spanish as “Sustitución Gradual,” for the filings provided to Mexico. This is not correct since its English equivalent would be “gradual substitution.” The translation artificially inserts “gradual,” meaning incremental. A more accurate translation of “Substitution Instruction” would be “Instrucción de sustitución.” Both words, substitution, and instruction, are not that different in the two languages. The same goes for gradual in English or gradual en Español. The Spanish version of the filings imply there will be steps to replace corn in animal feed. Wrong. There is nothing gradual and there is no substitution in the Decree. Leave it alone, with the Decree animals can still have GMO corn.
Misunderstandings infect this conflict. Hopefully, the panelists can see what the Decree does and what Mexico imports. Mexico is American corn largest overseas buyer. The Decree is backed by plenty of science. It seeks to avoid the risks created by toxic herbicides like glyphosate. American trade officials should see the apparent facts, figures, and law and end this senseless dispute.
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Photo courtesy of Lynn Danielson, Unsplash
