VIDEO: Fischer Discusses Mexico’s Misguided, Unscientific Effort to Ban Genetically Modified Corn

WASHINGTON, D.C. - At a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing today, U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) questioned a senior official from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) about ongoing negotiations to push back against Mexico's proposed ban on genetically modified corn.

Sen. Fischer has been raising concerns about this issue for months. In December, Sen. Fischer led a letter to USDA and the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) opposing Mexico's ban and urging the Biden administration to consider all options available to hold Mexico to their trade commitments, including possible enforcement under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

During the hearing, Sen. Fischer also urged USDA's Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Alexis Taylor to advocate for market access provisions, especially for agriculture, to be included under the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), an economic initiative launched by President Biden on May 23, 2022.

Click the image above to watch video of Sen. Fischer's remarks

Following is a transcript of Senator Fischer's exchange with Under Secretary Taylor:

Senator Fischer: Thank you, Madam Chair. And thank you to our panelists who are here today. Trade is vital to Nebraska's agricultural economy. Agricultural exports from Nebraska were valued at $6.5 billion in 2021. New and growing export markets drive value back to rural America. The market access program and foreign market development programs are critical in helping our producers develop those new markets. I agree with many of my colleagues today that, as we look toward the next Farm Bill, it will be critical to ensure that these programs do continue. In order to fully realize our investment from those market development programs, though, the United States government has an important role to play. At a bare minimum, we must uphold our existing trade agreements. And, Under Secretary Taylor, I did appreciate your remarks to Senator Grassley earlier that there is no negotiating on Mexico's ban on biotech corn, because the science is clear on that. You mentioned that Mexico's livestock sector needs our corn. And that is a large market for Nebraska farmers. But Nebraska is also unique in that we grow half of the nation's food grade white corn, with Mexico being our top export market. And I understand Mexico has claimed that there are cultural reasons for wanting to ban imports of white corn. So, can you assure us that, when you say there is no compromise with Mexico and their attempts to ban biotech corn, that that also includes our food grade white corn?

Under Secretary Taylor: Thank you, Senator Fischer. From the conversations that I have had with my Mexican counterparts, we talked about it broadly to include our yellow corn and our white corn exports. There are concerns, I think, in both. And, fundamentally, the science is the same, as it is for many other genetically engineered products that have been studied for decades. The safety of these products are not in question.

Senator Fischer: Thank you, and I agree with you also on your point that this has a broader impact. If we have a country who is claiming in a trade agreement that they are not going to accept our products that are safe. GMOs are-they are safe. That's a message we need to get out, not just in our international trade, but also here within this country. So I appreciate you standing firm on that and making it clear that GMOs are safe. They are secure. They are healthy. They helped feed the world. We can go on and on with this as we continue to move forward. So I thank you for that. In December, I led 25 of my colleagues-it was a bipartisan letter that we sent to the administration to hold Mexico to their commitments under the USMCA. And we haven't received a response yet from that. So could you check on that and let us know how the administration plans to proceed?

Under Secretary Taylor: Absolutely, Senator.

Senator Fischer: Thank you very much. Also, you note in your testimony that the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework-there are meaningful opportunities in there to address non-tariff barriers and sanitary and phytosanitary restrictions. I agree addressing those items would be helpful. However, I have heard from many Nebraska ag producers concerned about the lack of any meaningful market access provisions as part of the administration's trade agenda. So, in your capacity as Under Secretary, will you advocate that market access provisions, specifically for agriculture, are included as part of the negotiations for the IPEF?

Under Secretary Taylor: Senator, thank you for that question. So I believe, broadly, that market access addressing tariffs, but also at the SPS-side of trade, is critically important. Doing one without the other does not often equate to market access. We have seen that around the world. I think, while tariff liberalisation broadly has been critical to U.S. agriculture, there have been parts that have not felt that as equal. I heard this often from some specialty crop producers in the state of Oregon about some of the challenges that they experienced. So what I will say is I'm interested in pursuing trade policy that balances the need for the diverse set of our agricultural producers in this country in pursuing new and diversified markets.

Senator Fischer: Thank you. I look forward to continuing our discussions on this. And a special thank you for really holding firm on the yellow corn and the white corn with Mexico. And my thanks to the Secretary as well.

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