Government emails have shown that Bayer and lobbyist CropLife America are working with US government officials to pressure Mexico to reverse the ban on Glyphosate.
Previously, lobbyists and Bayer pressured Thailand to drop its plans to ban Glyphosate in 2019. Thailand dropped the ban after the US threatened trade disruptions.
The emails reviewed by the Guardian come from the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) and other US agencies. They detail worry and frustration with Mexico’s position. One email makes a reference to staff within López Obrador’s administration as “vocal anti-biotechnology activists”, and another email states that Mexico’s health agency (Cofepris) is “becoming a big time problem”.
Mexico’s president is still moving forward with the Glyphosate ban, giving farmers until 2024 to completely phase out Glyphosate. He is also calling for the phase-out of GMO-Corn.
Glyphosate is the active ingredient in the weedkiller Roundup and is known to cause cancer and other health problems.