Attack on US avocado inspectors in Mexican state led to suspension of inspections

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Two U.S. Department of Agriculture employees were attacked and temporarily detained in Mexico’s state of Michoacan, prompting the U.S. government to halt inspections of avocado and mango shipments, the U.S. ambassador to Mexico said Tuesday.

Ambassador Ken Salazar said in a statement that the attack occurred as staff were inspecting avocados in Michoacan. He said they were no longer being detained.

US authorities confirmed the suspension of inspections on Monday, citing security concerns.

The employees work for the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Since avocados are also grown in the US, US inspectors work in Mexico to ensure that the exported avocados do not carry diseases that could harm US crops.

“To ensure the safety of our agricultural inspection teams, APHIS has suspended avocado and mango inspections in Michoacan until these safety issues are resolved,” Salazar said.

Michoacan is Mexico’s largest avocado exporter.

Michoacan Governor Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla told Mexican radio station Radio Formula on Tuesday that the inspectors were stopped on June 14 during a protest by residents of Aranza, in western Michoacan. He downplayed the situation, claiming they were never in danger. He said he contacted the U.S. Embassy the following day and that state security forces would ensure the safety of the state’s avocado producers and packers.

“I hope we have good news in the next few hours,” he said, referring to a possible resumption of inspections.

Inspections in other Mexican states are not affected, Salazar said.

The Mexican Producers and Packers Association said in a statement on Tuesday that it is working closely with government officials from Mexico and the United States to resume avocado exports from Michoacan.

It said the incident that led to the suspension had “no connection to the avocado industry.”

Many avocado farmers in Michoacán report that drug gangs threaten them or their family members with kidnapping or death if they do not pay protection money, which can amount to several thousand dollars per acre.

There are also reports of organized crime attempting to import avocados grown in other states without export approval and get them through U.S. inspections.

In February 2022, the U.S. government suspended inspections of Mexican avocados “until further notice” after a U.S. industrial safety inspector in Michoacan received a threatening message. The halt was lifted after about a week.

Later that same year, Jalisco became the second Mexican state allowed to export avocados to the United States.

The new suspension of inspections will not hinder the shipment of Mexican avocados to the United States, since Jalisco is now an exporter and many avocados from Michoacán are already in transit.

Salazar said he would travel to Michoacan next week to meet with Bedolla and the growers and packers association.

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The Associated Press