Take action in solidarity with Mexico

April 2024: Canada and the US are using the Canada-US-Mexico trade agreement (CUSMA) to challenge Mexico’s new ban on genetically engineered (genetically modified or GM) corn. Canada does not export any corn to Mexico, but the Government of Canada is participating in a trade dispute to force open the Mexican market.

This trade challenge is consistent with Canada’s policies that support the profit-making of the biotechnology industry at the expense of democracy, transparency, choice in the marketplace and independent science, and despite risks to the environment and ongoing scientific uncertainty about harm to human health.

Mexico’s restrictions on GM corn seek to safeguard the integrity of native corn from GM contamination and protect human health. Corn is a staple of the Mexican diet and is central to Mexican culture and agriculture, history and national identity. Corn is sacred to Indigenous peoples in Mexico and essential to Indigenous cultural and spiritual practices.

On February 13, 2023, a presidential decree disallowed the use of GM corn in Mexico for making traditional foods, such as tortilla, that rely on minimally processed white corn flour. The decree also states the intention to eventually replace GM corn ingredients in processed foods with non-GM corn. These measures are the result of decades of struggle by farmers and grassroots communities in Mexico who are asserting their right to seed and food sovereignty.

April 8, 2024: In solidarity with Mexico, 31 Canadian organizations stated their objection to Canada’s role in a trade challenge. Click here to read the statement of solidarity.

For more information see www.cban.ca/trade