Avocado imports from Mexico will resume immediately after additional safety measures for U.S. inspectors working in the field were put into effect, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The USDA announced Friday that its avocado inspection program in the Mexican state of Michoacán has restarted and exports to the U.S. have resumed.
It ends a suspension of fresh avocado imports which began Saturday after a USDA inspector carrying out field work received a threatening phone call Feb. 11. Specifics about the threat remain unclear.
“The safety of USDA employees simply doing their jobs is of paramount importance,” the USDA said in a statement. “USDA is appreciative of the positive, collaborative relationship between the United States and Mexico that made resolution of this issue possible in a timely manner.”
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.
Inspections of avocados are required to ensure imports coming into the U.S. are free of pests, which helps protect avocado crops in states such as California.
Michoacán, located in the central western part of the country, is one of only two states in Mexico with U.S. approval to export avocados to the U.S. The other is Jalisco.
In 2019, USDA inspectors in Michoacán were threatened at gunpoint by a group of people after canceling the certification of an avocado farm.
The U.S. imported $2.8 billion in fresh avocados from Mexico in 2021. Experts said Mexico would lose up to $14 million a day if the ban continued.
The ports of entry in Pharr and Laredo, Texas, are the top two border crossings for Mexican fresh avocados, representing about 90% of imports coming from Mexico.
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