USDA Halts Inspection of Avocados, Mangos From Mexico’s Michoacan Over Security
USDA has suspended until further notice the inspection of avocados and mangos originating from the western Mexico state of Michoacan.
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The agency this week said it has suspended inspections “due to security concerns” for Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service personnel. Inspections will remain paused until the security situation is reviewed and protocols and safeguards are in place for APHIS personnel.
USDA did not indicate when it would lift its suspension, although it said the inspection won’t affect avocados and mangos in transit for export.
This most recent suspension isn’t the first time that the agency has paused inspections. USDA also halted inspections for about a week in February 2022 after an APHIS employee allegedly received a verbal threat (see 2202140039), according to USDA.
When that suspension occurred, APHIS told Mexico’s National Food Health, Food Safety and Quality Service (Senasica) that it would complete an investigation to evaluate the threat and determine steps to be taken to guarantee the security of its personnel that work in Michoacan.
According to an April USDA report, the U.S. is the top market for Mexico’s avocados, with U.S. market share at 81%. Avocado production is forecast at 2.77 million metric tons in 2024, and three states account for 90% of Mexico’s avocado production: Michoacan (73%), Jalisco (12%) and the State of Mexico (5%).
Mexico exported 1.4 million metric tons of avocados in 2023, and since July 2022, the states of Michoacan and Jalisco have been eligible to export avocados to the United States, USDA said. Prior to then, Michoacan was the only state eligible to export avocados to the U.S.
According to USDA, the Association of Avocado Exporting Producers and Packers of Mexico, a Mexico-based nonprofit cleared for exporting avocados to the U.S., noted that as of February 2024, there were 58 avocado packing facilities in Michoacan approved for export to the U.S., and 11 such facilities in Jalisco.