U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai met with a delegation of senior Mexican government officials in Washington, D.C., to address a range of issues.
Vilsack and Tai issued a joint statement following the Dec. 16 meeting, according to a USDA news release.
“There was candid conversation about our deep concerns around the restrictions of the importation of biotech corn and other biotechnology products stemming from President López Obrador’s 2020 decree,” the pair said in the news release. “The Mexican delegation presented some potential amendments to the decree in an effort to address our concerns.”
Vilsack and Tai noted they would review the proposal from the Mexican contingent closely and follow up with questions or concerns, the release reported.
“There is a joint recognition that time is of the essence, and we must determine a path forward soon," they said in the release.
According to the USDA news release, joining Vilsack and Tai at the meeting were Secretay of Foreign Affairs Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon; Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development Víctor Manuel Villalobos Arámbula; Secretary of Economy Raquel Buenrostro Sánchez; Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources María Luisa Albores González; Mexican Ambassador to the U.S. Esteban Moctezuma; and Federal Commissioner Alejandro Ernesto Svarch Pérez.
