Harkin Urges Eliminating Mexican Barriers to U.S. Corn Sweetener Exports

HARKIN URGES ELIMINATING MEXICAN BARRIERS TO U.S. CORN SWEETENER EXPORTS

Says Mexico must follow trade rules prohibiting tariffs on high fructose corn syrup

In a letter to the U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman today, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) highlighted the urgency of resolving a dispute over Mexican trade barriers to corn sweeteners which have cost U.S. corn farmers and businesses billions of dollars. Harkin said rulings by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) panels support U.S. efforts to eliminate Mexican tariffs and taxes on U.S. exports of high fructose corn syrup.

"For the sake of U.S farmers and businesses, we must ensure Mexico lives up to its trade promises," said Harkin. "Both the WTO and NAFTA have ruled against these trade-limiting policies and it's time for them to be removed."

For several years, the Mexican government has set-up a variety of trade barriers to block imports of U.S. high fructose corn syrup. On August 8 a WTO panel ruled that the Mexican government had violated its trade commitments by imposing a 20 percent tax on beverages containing high fructose corn syrup. This was the second WTO ruling against Mexico's persistent efforts to limit imports of U.S. high fructose corn syrup. The WTO decision follows a similar finding in favor of the United States by a NAFTA panel. Harkin's letter today urged stepped-up negotiations between the U.S. and Mexican governments to eliminate Mexico's twenty percent tax on high fructose corn syrup and any other barriers on these products before the end of the year.

A copy of the letter is available upon request.

http://harkin.senate.gov/news.cfm?id=244880