California avocado growers are upset this week due to a U.S. decision to transfer responsibility for pest inspections of Mexican orchards from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to the Mexican government.
Inspectors employed by the USDA have protected against imports of avocados contaminated with pests and diseases since 1997. However, in recent years they have been threatened with violence in Mexico for refusing to certify deceptive shipments.
The threats have previously resulted in the suspension of inspections in Mexico. California growers are now questioning whether Mexican inspectors would be able to withstand similar pressure.
“This action reverses the long-established inspection process intended to prevent invasions of known pests in Mexico that could devastate our industry,” the California Avocado Commission wrote in an open letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack on Monday.
Currently, inspectors work for the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). They oversee orchards and packing houses in Mexico to ensure exported avocados do not carry pests that could harm U.S. crops.
“It is well known that their physical presence greatly reduces the opportunity for others to game the system,” the avocado commission wrote.
The letter questioned why APHIS inspectors were being replaced by Mexican government inspectors, asking for specific assurances that this would be in the best interest of the industry.
Mexico’s Agriculture Department announced the decision last week in a statement claiming that the U.S. health safety agency was recognizing Mexico’s commitment to exporting safe avocados after 27 years without any issues.
However, inspections were halted in 2022 due to threats made against a U.S. inspector in the western state of Michoacan, where growers are frequently subject to extortion by drug cartels. Only the states of Michoacan and Jalisco have been certified to export avocados to the United States.
In June, two USDA employees were assaulted and temporarily held by assailants in Michoacan, leading the U.S. to suspend inspections in Mexico’s biggest avocado-producing state.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture did not immediately respond to questions about why the decision was made or whether it was related to the threats.
Mexico currently supplies around 80% of U.S. imports of avocados. Growers in the U.S. are unable to meet the country’s entire demand, nor provide fruit year-round.
Source: NPR
