An escalating trade dispute between the United States and Mexico over genetically modified corn will likely extend to mid-2024 or beyond as the two sides try to reconcile their deep divisions, environmental activists and trade experts say. The row over a Mexican decree banning the use of genetically modified corn for human consumption intensified in August. That’s when the United States established a dispute-settlement panel to rule on the matter as is allowed under the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA). The three-member panel—comprising two trade experts, one Swiss and one Mexican, along with an American independent arbitrator—was named this month. At issue is a Mexican decree issued in February that bans the use of gene-altered corn in the dough used to make tortillas, tamales and other staples of the Mexican diet. The decree states the government will also “gradually” introduce substitutes for... [Log in to read more]