US to hand over pest inspections of Mexican avocados to Mexico and California growers aren't happy

MEXICO CITY -- California avocado growers are fuming this week astir a U.S. determination to manus implicit pest inspections of Mexican orchards to the Mexican government.

Inspectors hired by the U.S. Department of Agriculture person been guarding against imports of avocados infected with insects and diseases since 1997, but they person besides been threatened successful Mexico for refusing to certify deceptive shipments successful caller years.

Threats and unit against inspectors person caused the U.S. to suspend inspections successful the past, and California growers question whether Mexico's ain inspectors would beryllium amended equipped to withstand specified pressure.

"This enactment reverses the long-established inspection process designed to forestall invasions of known pests successful Mexico that would devastate our industry," the California Avocado Commission wrote successful an unfastened missive to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack connected Monday.

At present, inspectors enactment for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, known arsenic APHIS. Because the United States besides grows avocados, U.S. inspectors observe orchards and packing houses successful Mexico to guarantee exported avocados don't transportation pests that could wounded U.S. crops.

"It is good known that their carnal beingness greatly reduces the accidental of others to crippled the system," the avocado committee wrote. "What assurances tin APHIS supply america that its unilateral reversal of the process volition beryllium adjacent to oregon amended than what has protected us?"

The missive added, "We are looking for specifics arsenic to wherefore you person concluded that substituting APHIS inspectors with Mexican authorities inspectors is successful our champion interest."

The determination was announced past week successful a abbreviated connection by Mexico's Agriculture Department, which claimed that "with this agreement, the U.S. wellness information bureau is recognizing the committedness of Mexican growers, who successful much than 27 years person not had immoderate sanitary problems successful exports."

The thought that determination person been nary problems is acold from the truth.

In 2022, inspections were halted aft 1 of the U.S. inspectors was threatened successful the occidental authorities of Michoacan, wherever growers are routinely taxable to extortion by cause cartels. Only the states of Michoacan and Jalisco are certified to export avocados to the United States.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said astatine the clip that the inspector had received a menace "against him and his family."

The inspector had "questioned the integrity of a definite shipment, and refused to certify it based connected factual issues," according to the USDA statement. Some packers successful Mexico bargain avocados from other, non-certified states, and effort to walk them disconnected arsenic being from Michoacan.

Sources astatine the clip said the 2022 menace progressive a grower demanding the inspector certify much avocados than his orchard was physically susceptible of producing, suggesting that astatine slightest immoderate had been smuggled successful from elsewhere.

And successful June, 2 USDA employees were assaulted and temporarily held by assailants successful Michoacan. That led the U.S. to suspend inspections successful Mexico's biggest avocado-producing state.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture did not instantly respond to questions astir wherefore the determination was made, oregon whether it was related to the threats.

Mexico presently supplies astir 80% of U.S. imports of the fruit. Growers successful the U.S. can't proviso the country's full demand, nor supply effect year-round.