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>Although NAFTA was heralded by the U.S. government for reducing barriers to trade, as The Counter previously reported, the pact devastated rural economies in M

>Although NAFTA was heralded by the U.S. government for reducing barriers to trade, as The Counter previously reported, the pact devastated rural economies in Mexico, flooding the market with cheap, government-subsidized U.S. corn and gutting domestic corn prices by nearly 70 percent. This shift led an estimated 2 million farmworkers to abandon the countryside to seek work in big cities or across the border in the United States. >On December 31, 2020, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador signed a decree that could enable Mexican farmers to reclaim their livelihoods within their home country. The order calls for the phase-out by 2024 of two pillars of American agribusiness: glyphosate and genetically engineered (GE) corn The problem that US corn grown using high yielding strains is too cheap, so the solution is to ban growing high yielding strains domestically? I'm not sure how that's going to work. The actual text of the decree is here: https://www.dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5609365&fecha=31/12/2020 https://www.dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5609365&fecha... The google translated version says nothing about banning genetically engineered corn, just banning glyphosate? The second order effect is that nobody buys RR corn seed, since you wouldn't bother spending more for it if you can't then use glyphosate to knock down weeds. But that's only for corn grown in-country. All the media coverage seems to think it's banning corn imports, which I believe would require repealing NAFTA.

xtracto 5y ago
One issue with Corn in México is that we have hundreds of different varieties of corn (including those fancy coloured corn used for tortillas). Introducing High yield GMO corn without taking care if the local varieties could decimate the biodiversity of the region.
- hinkley 5y ago
  The high yield corn isn’t edible. You have to do food science to it or feed it to livestock.
  - colechristensen 5y ago
    This is not true. It isn't sweet corn, which is essentially a mutation variety from hundreds of years ago eaten like a vegetable instead of a grain. All field corn (dent corn, lots of names) is perfectly edible. There are varieties with different characteristics like protein, oil, or starch content, or varieties grown to grind up and feed the whole plant to animals. Regulation approves only certain genetics and grain millers will have certain approved varieties that mill well, and in general lots of extra care must be taken for human food corn. Ultimately though, it is extremely similar to all other corn.
  - steve_adams_86 5y ago
    Unless I'm mistaken, I think this misconception arises from people not realizing that a lot of corn is actually intended to become flour, not to be eaten off of the cob like sweet corn. So yes, these corns aren't edible when rolled in butter at a barbecue, but they do grind into flour just fine to become other things.
    - MichaelZuo 5y ago
      I think the parent meant ‘not palatable’ instead of ‘not edible’, it’s an understandable mistake for someone who’s rarely, or never, experienced edible but not palatable food.
  - bserge 5y ago
    > feed it to livestock So, it's edible?
ComputerGuru 5y ago
Banning only glyphosate does nothing to stop cheap imports from flooding the market, so it makes no sense in the context of the problem described.
- dev_tty01 5y ago
  The GE corn is specifically engineered to be tolerant of glyphosate. That way you can spray it all over the fields and it kills the nutrient stealing weeds and not the corn. It seems their goal is to get rid of the GE corn and outlawing glyphosate to reduce the demand for the GE corn is a big part of the process. So, non-glyphosate herbicides aren't really relevant to the goals of the program.
  - ComputerGuru 5y ago
    No, my point is that if the problem is cheap imports of ready-to-eat corn is the problem, then only banning glyphosate itself will do nothing to stem that. If it's banned alongside GMO corn imports, that's a different matter.
    - dev_tty01 5y ago
      Ahh, I misunderstood. I get your point and agree. Thanks.
smnrchrds 5y ago
I don't think it would require repealing NAFTA. I don't know the legal details of NAFTA (or whatever it is called today). But usually, what free trade agreements do is forcing countries not to advantage local companies over foreign ones among the parties of the agreement. So I suppose if Mexico bans corn imports from the US, it will be against NAFTA. If it bans all genetically-engineered corn whether they are produced in Mexico or US or Canada, that will be OK. If most US corn is GE, then they effectively ban corn imports from the US without banning corn imports.
- mrzimmerman 5y ago
  I’m not an expert but it’s my understanding that the deal is more detailed then that and less about not favoring foreign companies and more about getting one big negotiation done all at once for a large number of industries. I really enjoyed this episode of Planet Money that tells the story of some of the original NAFTA negotiators: https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2015/06/26/417851577/episode-635-trade-deal-confidential https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2015/06/26/417851577/epis...
- klodolph 5y ago
  > I don't know the legal details of NAFTA... I hate to say this... but, why are you commenting if you don't know the legal details of NAFTA? The legal details of NAFTA are thorny, often surprising, and extremely relevant to this issue. Just search for the case history of the "tantamount to expropriation" phrase from NAFTA, and the crazy way these court cases have played out over the years under NAFTA. NAFTA is practically the poster child for "trade deals with weird language, that should probably have never been approved by congress, with far-reaching consequences."
  - jolmg 5y ago
    > I hate to say this... but, why are you commenting if you don't know the legal details of NAFTA? They've given a good hypothesis. Are you expecting commenters to only contribute to topics they can claim to be specialized experts in?
kelnos 5y ago
> cheap, government-subsidized U.S. corn Maybe the US gov't should stop subsidizing it? I assume that brings the price down quite a bit.
- wudangmonk 5y ago
  This would be nice, it sucks that everything in the U.S contains corn syrup.
  - ip26 5y ago
    FWIW it only contains corn syrup because it's cheaper than cane sugar. If corn wasn't so cheap, you'd just eat an equivalent amount of cane sugar instead.
    - beerandt 5y ago
      >cheaper than cane sugar Which is because the US restricts cheap sugar imports from Mexico, to make US sugar cane farming profitable. My first thought when I saw the headline was that Mexico corn restrictions were retaliation for US sugar restrictions.
      - datavirtue 5y ago
        55% sugar beets, 45% cane.
    - katbyte 5y ago
      Which is better? Cane sugar and corn syrup are very different and the harmful effects of “sugar” are greatly increased with HFCS
      - amanaplanacanal 5y ago
        Are they that different? I thought the major difference was that the disaccharide in cane sugar was split in corn syrup, which happens very quickly in your digestion anyway.
deleted 5y ago
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saganus 5y ago
Articles 5th and 6th mention genetically modified corn. >Artículo Quinto.- Las Secretarías de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, de Salud, y de Agricultura y Desarrollo Rural, así como el Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología, a más tardar en el primer semestre del año 2023, promoverán las reformas de los ordenamientos jurídicos aplicables para evitar el uso de glifosato como sustancia activa de agroquímicos y de maíz genéticamente modificado en México. At the end: "...to avoid the use of glyphosate as active substance in agrochemicals and genetically modified corn in Mexico" In Art. 6: > revocarán y se abstendrán de otorgar permisos de liberación al ambiente de semillas de maíz genéticamente modificado. "... will revoke and abstain from granting permits to release into the environment genetically modified corn seeds"
dehrmann 5y ago
> So the solution is to ban growing high yielding strains domestically? I'm not sure how that's going to work. The answer is in the headline: it's a decree from a populist. It might sound good to voters, but might even be harmful when it faces economic realities.
omaranto 5y ago
> The google translated version says nothing about banning genetically engineered corn, just banning glyphosate? That's a question, right? The answer is no: articles 5 and 6 do talk about banning genetically modified corn.
sjg007 5y ago
You can use broad leaf herbicides on corn. Also modern tech spot treats at planting. Some farmers do this already. I don’t think everyone is growing pioneer.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
FuriouslyAdrift 5y ago
It appears around 95% of the imported corn is feed-grade yellow corn because Mexica doesn't grow very much of that. https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2020/august/us-corn-exports-to-mexico-have-increased-with-the-transition-to-free-trade-under-the-north-american-free-trade-agreement/ https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2020/august/us-corn-exp...

xtracto 5y ago

One issue with Corn in México is that we have hundreds of different varieties of corn (including those fancy coloured corn used for tortillas). Introducing High yield GMO corn without taking care if the local varieties could decimate the biodiversity of the region.

hinkley 5y ago
The high yield corn isn’t edible. You have to do food science to it or feed it to livestock.
- colechristensen 5y ago
  This is not true. It isn't sweet corn, which is essentially a mutation variety from hundreds of years ago eaten like a vegetable instead of a grain. All field corn (dent corn, lots of names) is perfectly edible. There are varieties with different characteristics like protein, oil, or starch content, or varieties grown to grind up and feed the whole plant to animals. Regulation approves only certain genetics and grain millers will have certain approved varieties that mill well, and in general lots of extra care must be taken for human food corn. Ultimately though, it is extremely similar to all other corn.
- steve_adams_86 5y ago
  Unless I'm mistaken, I think this misconception arises from people not realizing that a lot of corn is actually intended to become flour, not to be eaten off of the cob like sweet corn. So yes, these corns aren't edible when rolled in butter at a barbecue, but they do grind into flour just fine to become other things.
  - MichaelZuo 5y ago
    I think the parent meant ‘not palatable’ instead of ‘not edible’, it’s an understandable mistake for someone who’s rarely, or never, experienced edible but not palatable food.
- bserge 5y ago
  > feed it to livestock So, it's edible?

ComputerGuru 5y ago

Banning only glyphosate does nothing to stop cheap imports from flooding the market, so it makes no sense in the context of the problem described.

dev_tty01 5y ago
The GE corn is specifically engineered to be tolerant of glyphosate. That way you can spray it all over the fields and it kills the nutrient stealing weeds and not the corn. It seems their goal is to get rid of the GE corn and outlawing glyphosate to reduce the demand for the GE corn is a big part of the process. So, non-glyphosate herbicides aren't really relevant to the goals of the program.
- ComputerGuru 5y ago
  No, my point is that if the problem is cheap imports of ready-to-eat corn is the problem, then only banning glyphosate itself will do nothing to stem that. If it's banned alongside GMO corn imports, that's a different matter.
  - dev_tty01 5y ago
    Ahh, I misunderstood. I get your point and agree. Thanks.

smnrchrds 5y ago

I don't think it would require repealing NAFTA. I don't know the legal details of NAFTA (or whatever it is called today). But usually, what free trade agreements do is forcing countries not to advantage local companies over foreign ones among the parties of the agreement. So I suppose if Mexico bans corn imports from the US, it will be against NAFTA. If it bans all genetically-engineered corn whether they are produced in Mexico or US or Canada, that will be OK. If most US corn is GE, then they effectively ban corn imports from the US without banning corn imports.

mrzimmerman 5y ago
I’m not an expert but it’s my understanding that the deal is more detailed then that and less about not favoring foreign companies and more about getting one big negotiation done all at once for a large number of industries. I really enjoyed this episode of Planet Money that tells the story of some of the original NAFTA negotiators: https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2015/06/26/417851577/episode-635-trade-deal-confidential https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2015/06/26/417851577/epis...
klodolph 5y ago
> I don't know the legal details of NAFTA... I hate to say this... but, why are you commenting if you don't know the legal details of NAFTA? The legal details of NAFTA are thorny, often surprising, and extremely relevant to this issue. Just search for the case history of the "tantamount to expropriation" phrase from NAFTA, and the crazy way these court cases have played out over the years under NAFTA. NAFTA is practically the poster child for "trade deals with weird language, that should probably have never been approved by congress, with far-reaching consequences."
- jolmg 5y ago
  > I hate to say this... but, why are you commenting if you don't know the legal details of NAFTA? They've given a good hypothesis. Are you expecting commenters to only contribute to topics they can claim to be specialized experts in?

kelnos 5y ago

> cheap, government-subsidized U.S. corn Maybe the US gov't should stop subsidizing it? I assume that brings the price down quite a bit.

wudangmonk 5y ago
This would be nice, it sucks that everything in the U.S contains corn syrup.
- ip26 5y ago
  FWIW it only contains corn syrup because it's cheaper than cane sugar. If corn wasn't so cheap, you'd just eat an equivalent amount of cane sugar instead.
  - beerandt 5y ago
    >cheaper than cane sugar Which is because the US restricts cheap sugar imports from Mexico, to make US sugar cane farming profitable. My first thought when I saw the headline was that Mexico corn restrictions were retaliation for US sugar restrictions.
    - datavirtue 5y ago
      55% sugar beets, 45% cane.
  - katbyte 5y ago
    Which is better? Cane sugar and corn syrup are very different and the harmful effects of “sugar” are greatly increased with HFCS
    - amanaplanacanal 5y ago
      Are they that different? I thought the major difference was that the disaccharide in cane sugar was split in corn syrup, which happens very quickly in your digestion anyway.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

saganus 5y ago

Articles 5th and 6th mention genetically modified corn. >Artículo Quinto.- Las Secretarías de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, de Salud, y de Agricultura y Desarrollo Rural, así como el Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología, a más tardar en el primer semestre del año 2023, promoverán las reformas de los ordenamientos jurídicos aplicables para evitar el uso de glifosato como sustancia activa de agroquímicos y de maíz genéticamente modificado en México. At the end: "...to avoid the use of glyphosate as active substance in agrochemicals and genetically modified corn in Mexico" In Art. 6: > revocarán y se abstendrán de otorgar permisos de liberación al ambiente de semillas de maíz genéticamente modificado. "... will revoke and abstain from granting permits to release into the environment genetically modified corn seeds"

dehrmann 5y ago

> So the solution is to ban growing high yielding strains domestically? I'm not sure how that's going to work. The answer is in the headline: it's a decree from a populist. It might sound good to voters, but might even be harmful when it faces economic realities.

omaranto 5y ago

> The google translated version says nothing about banning genetically engineered corn, just banning glyphosate? That's a question, right? The answer is no: articles 5 and 6 do talk about banning genetically modified corn.

sjg007 5y ago

You can use broad leaf herbicides on corn. Also modern tech spot treats at planting. Some farmers do this already. I don’t think everyone is growing pioneer.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

FuriouslyAdrift 5y ago

It appears around 95% of the imported corn is feed-grade yellow corn because Mexica doesn't grow very much of that. https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2020/august/us-corn-exports-to-mexico-have-increased-with-the-transition-to-free-trade-under-the-north-american-free-trade-agreement/ https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2020/august/us-corn-exp...