An international trade panel on Monday again found Mexico's anti-dumping duties on US high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) illegal, and ordered the government to lift the tariffs within 30 days.
The NAFTA panel ruling reinforces previous NAFTA reviews, as well as a World Trade Organisation decision, that Mexico's anti-dumping duties, in place since 1998, are illegal.
The news will be welcomed by agribusiness giant Archer Daniels who learned last week that its second appeal to Mexico to lower the anti-dumping tariffs charged on corn sweetener brought into Mexico had been rejected. Archer Daniels, one of the world's largest processors of soybeans, corn, wheat and cocoa, has been fighting Mexican anti-dumping tariffs on High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) for over two years.
The panel found duties on US. corn syrup, which is used as a soft drink sweetener, are "inconsistent'' with trade laws. Mexico's duties range from $55.37-$175.50 per tonne. The duties are part of a broader dispute between Mexico and the United States over sweeteners.