WINNIPEG (Reuters) — Canada plans to join dispute settlement consultations between the United States and Mexico over genetically modified corn, as a third party, the Canadian government said June 9.
Washington requested the consultations earlier this month, inching toward a full-blown trade dispute under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement over Mexico’s policies to limit the use of GM corn, which it imports from the U.S.
“Canada shares the concerns of the U.S. that Mexico’s measures are not scientifically supported and have the potential to unnecessarily disrupt trade in the North American market,” Canadian Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau and International Trade Minister Mary Ng said in a joint statement.
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Canada is not a major corn exporter, but Mexico is one of its largest markets for canola, much of which is also GM.
If the consultations cannot resolve disagreements within 75 days, Washington can request a dispute settlement panel to decide the case.
The U.S. requested formal trade consultations in March over objections to Mexico’s plans to limit imports of GM corn and other agricultural biotechnology products. Those consultations took place, but failed to resolve the matter, senior officials of the U.S. Trade Representative’s office said.
