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USGC focused on Mexico GMO corn ban

A board member with the US Grains Council says the organization is focused on overturning Mexico’s GMO corn ban.

Jim Reed, an Illinois farmer, says the group has representatives in the country working on the issue.

“If we have to channel certain products one way and certain products another way, the US export system is just not built to handle that very well,” he says, “so that always ends up if there’s more costs involved in handling grain that takes profit away from the farmer.”

He tells Brownfield…

“We’ve proven over and over how safe GM products are.”  He says, “We have the most rigorous testing standards with our bureaus here in the US, and we’d hope they’d accept that as being proof that we have a safe product.”

Reed says any further disruption to export demand would be detrimental to farmers already feeling the impact of lower commodity prices.

Mexico’s ban on GMO corn is currently disputed by the United States under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.   The ruling on the dispute settlement is expected later this fall. 

AUDIO: Jim Reed – USGC