The United States Department of Agriculture said it was indefinitely suspending the inspection of avocados and mangoes from Mexico “due to security concerns” for its staff.
The agency is pausing the inspections due to unspecified safety concerns for its workers
The United States Department of Agriculture said it was indefinitely suspending the inspection of avocados and mangoes from Mexico “due to security concerns” for its staff.
The USDA told Quartz in a statement Tuesday that inspections “will remain paused until the security situation is reviewed and protocols and safeguards are in place.”
The news follows reports from Mexican media that two USDA inspectors had been illegally detained at a local checkpoint in the state of Michoacán, where most of the U.S. supply of avocados originates.
The USDA did not provide an official reason for the pause. The agency added that “avocados and mangos in transit are not impacted.”
Julio Sahagún Calderón, who runs Mexico’s association of avocado producers and packers, told The New York Times that the suspension was “due to an incident unrelated to the avocado industry.”
A government source told Reuters the suspension was related to an incident at a protest Saturday in Michoacán.
The suspension could greatly affect the avocado and mango supplies in the U.S., depending on the length of the pause, which could in turn affect prices.
Avocado inspections were similarly suspended in 2022 after a USDA inspector faced a verbal threat but resumed shortly after.
Farms that grow produce for U.S. consumers require both Mexican and U.S. safety inspections before they are shipped across the border.
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