In late 2020, Mexico announced that the country would be phasing out the use of glyphosate herbicides, the cultivation of GMO corn, and the import of GMO corn for human consumption and livestock feed by the end of 2024. The reasons for the decree given by Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador are to protect the health of Mexico’s consumers and protect small-scale farmers, the environment, and the purity of Mexico’s native corn varieties.

The decree states, “With the objective of achieving self-sufficiency and food sovereignty, our country must be oriented towards establishing sustainable and culturally adequate agricultural production, through the use of agroecological practices and inputs that are safe for human health, the country’s biocultural diversity and the environment, as well as congruent with the agricultural traditions of Mexico.”

Bayer-Monsanto and Dow have since launched at least 43 lawsuits in Mexico attempting to overturn the presidential decree.