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The investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanism included in most trade and investment agreements gives foreign investors the right to challenge national laws and regulations related to agriculture and food, would these regulations represent an obstacle to their profits.

About 4% of all ICSID cases concerned agriculture, fishing and forestry issues as of end of 2019.

Most well-known cases include:

• Corn Products International (US) vs. Mexico: in 2009 US$58.4 million were awarded to the agribusiness producer of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) – a derived sweetener linked to obesity. The investor challenged a government tax levied on beverages sweetened with HFCS (NAFTA invoked).

• Cargill (US) vs. Mexico: US$90.7 million awarded to the food-processing giant in 2009. The investor successfully challenged the abovementioned Mexican tax on HFCS (NAFTA invoked).

• Micula (Sweden) vs. Romania: US$250 million awarded to the multiple food-processing company in 2013, following the termination of incentives from the Romanian government in order to comply with EU law (Romania-Sweden BIT invoked).

Photo: Indymedia Mexico

(March 2020)

RDIE contre le climat: comment un mécanisme d’investissement hérité de l’ère coloniale compromet une transition juste
CAN Europe | 30-Jan-2026
Un mécanisme juridique peu connu, mais redoutablement efficace, permet aux entreprises du secteur des combustibles fossiles de mener des actions juridiques contre les pays qui prennent des mesures en faveur du climat.
agriculture | farmers | food , investment | BITs , investor-state disputes | ISDS
ISDS vs. clima: un mecanismo colonial de protección de inversiones que pone en riesgo la transición justo
CAN Europe | 30-Jan-2026
Un mecanismo legal poco conocido pero poderoso está socavando la transición energética, al permitir que las empresas de combustibles fósiles demanden a los países que adopten medidas climáticas.
agriculture | farmers | food , investment | BITs , investor-state disputes | ISDS
ISDS vs. the climate: How a colonial-era investment mechanism jeopardises a just transition
CAN Europe | 30-Jan-2026
A little-known yet powerful legal mechanism is undermining the energy transition, by enabling fossil fuel companies to sue countries that take climate action.
agriculture | farmers | food , investment | BITs , investor-state disputes | ISDS
Amway loses $3 billion dispute after Mexico seized its 692-acre organic farm
MLive | 15-Jan-2026
An international tribunal dismissed Amway’s request for $3 billion in damages after the Mexican government in 2022 seized a 692-acre organic farm owned by the multi-level marketing company and gave it to communal landowners.
agriculture | farmers | food , investor-state disputes | ISDS , land , Mexico , NAFTA | USMCA , US
NAFTA legacy case dropped
CCPA | 15-Dec-2025
The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes has declined jurisdiction over a NAFTA legacy claim filed under CUSMA’s legacy annex by Access Business Group (Amway) against Mexico and ordered the claimant to pay $1.3M USD.
agriculture | farmers | food , Canada , investor-state disputes | ISDS , land , Mexico , NAFTA | USMCA
Malaysian civil society groups urge government to reject investor-state dispute settlement clause in RCEP deal
The Edge Malaysia | 9-Jul-2025
Malaysian CSOs have urged the government to reject the inclusion of the ISDS clause in the RCEP agreement. They warn that ISDS allows foreign investors to sue governments over policies safeguarding public interests like health, workers, and the environment, potentially leading to costly legal battles and large payouts detrimental to national budgets.
agriculture | farmers | food , climate , environment , health , investor-state disputes | ISDS , labour | workers’ rights , RCEP
Not far enough – the state of the free trade agreement between Colombia and the United States
TNI | 26-Mar-2025
Despite criticism of the free trade agreement with the United States, Colombian President Gustavo Petro opted to reassess a series of clauses on investments and arbitration, instead of requesting a complete renegotiation.
agriculture | farmers | food , investor-state disputes | ISDS , ISDS reform , US
Construyendo saberes para la resistencia al libre comercio
América Latina Mejor sin TLC | 18-Mar-2025
Es un curso abierto y participativo, pensado para entender cómo los tratados de libre comercio (TLC) y los tratados bilaterales de inversión (TBI) afectan nuestras vidas, nuestros territorios y la soberanía de los pueblos.
actions | resistance , agriculture | farmers | food , investor-state disputes | ISDS , Latin America
Landmark ‘Micula case’ heads to European Court of Justice: A clash of EU law and global arbitration
The Parliament Magazine | 15-Jan-2025
As the Micula Case heads to the ECJ, it presents a pivotal moment for the intersection of EU law and international arbitration.
agriculture | farmers | food , EU , investor-state disputes | ISDS , Romania
AB InBev takes on Peru over tax bill
CDR | 14-Jan-2025
The global beer brewing giant has filed an ICSID challenge to the Peruvian tax authority’s attempts to recover an outstanding tax bill and its refusal to allow refunds.
agriculture | farmers | food , finance | banking | taxes , investor-state disputes | ISDS , Peru