US suspends imports of avocados from Mexico after threat to inspector

There are dozens of USDA employees stationed in Michoacán who are responsible for inspecting conditions on farms that grow avocados for export to the U.S.

In 2019, USDA inspectors in Michoacán were threatened at gunpoint by a group of people after canceling the certification of an avocado farm.

The 2019 incident prompted the USDA to write a letter to Mexican authorities that said, “For future situations that result in a security breach, or demonstrate an imminent physical threat to the well-being of APHIS personnel, we will immediately suspend program activities.”

Mexico is the largest avocado producer in the world, and 85% of supplies are imported by the U.S. The U.S.-Mexico ports of entry in Pharr and Laredo, Texas, represent the top two border crossings for Mexican avocados.

From Feb. 1 to Thursday, Pharr handled 1,322 truckloads and Laredo totaled 1,043 truckloads, with every truck carrying 40,000-pound shipments of avocados.

The suspension of imports comes after record avocado prices in the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl.

The Association of Avocado Exporting Producers and Packers of Mexico, a nonprofit organization that represents avocado farmers and packers, released a statement urging a resolution since it “affects the industry and the more than 300,000 jobs that depend on it.”

Click for more FreightWaves articles by Noi Mahoney.

More articles by Noi Mahoney

Avocado prices soar 59% ahead of Super Bowl

Canadian protesters continue to disrupt commercial traffic at Ambassador Bridge

FMCSA shuts down Adversity Transport as imminent hazard