OMAHA (DTN) -- The National Corn Growers Association on Friday praised an arbitration ruling under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) rejecting Mexico's efforts to restrict imports of biotech corn.

The ruling will ideally avoid any further efforts by Mexico to restrict genetically modified corn. Mexico is the largest buyer of U.S. corn.

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai announced the U.S. had prevailed in a case against Mexico over biotech corn exports. The USMCA dispute panel agreed with the U.S. on all seven legal claims, the USTR stated, finding that Mexico's measures to restrict corn imports were not based on science and undermine the market access Mexico agreed to provide under the USMCA. The panel issued its final report on Friday.

"The panel's ruling reaffirms the United States' longstanding concerns about Mexico's biotechnology policies and their detrimental impact on U.S. agricultural exports," Tai said. "It underscores the importance of science-based trade policies that allow American farmers and agricultural producers to compete fairly and leverage their innovation to address climate change and enhance productivity. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with the Mexican government to ensure a level playing field and provide access to safe, affordable, and sustainable agricultural products on both sides of the border."

The URTR's office noted that through October, the U.S. had exported $4.8 billion in corn to Mexico in 2024.

The issue has been a key focus for corn producers for the past four years. Former Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador began pushing decrees in his government to ban imports of biotech corn. After getting pushback from importers over feed, Lopez Obrador sought in 2023 to ban the import of biotech white corn used for tortillas or other food products.

"This is an incredible development for the nation's corn growers and rural communities," said Illinois farmer and NCGA President Kenneth Hartman Jr. "This outcome is a direct result of the advocacy efforts of corn grower leaders from across the country. We want to thank the nation's growers for speaking out and U.S. officials for listening and acting."

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack commended the dispute panel for a "thorough and impartial assessment" that detailed Mexico's efforts to restrict biotech imports was not based on science or international standards.

"Mexico's measures ran counter to decades' worth of evidence demonstrating the safety of agricultural biotechnology, underpinned by science- and risk-based regulatory review systems," Vilsack said. "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. It is also a victory for the countries around the world growing and using products of agricultural biotechnology to feed their growing populations and adapt to a changing planet."

Under the USMCA rules, Mexico has 45 days to comply with the panel's findings.

Chris Clayton can be reached at Chris.Clayton@dtn.com

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