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According to Ken Salazar, the US ambassador to Mexico, the Department of Agriculture will resume inspections of avocados and mangoes in the Mexican state of Michoacan.

Salazar announced that USDA inspectors “will gradually begin to return to the packing plants following recent aggression against them. However, it is still necessary to advance in guaranteeing their security before reaching full operations.” Michoacan’s governor, Alfredo Ramirez, also confirmed that state and federal officials had reached an agreement with US authorities on a “security model” to protect US health safety inspectors of avocados and mangos in Mexico.

Digging Deeper:
The US Department of Agriculture suspended all avocado and mango inspections headed for the United States from Michoacan on Monday, June 17. The suspension was due to two USDA inspectors being stopped and detained at a checkpoint run by a cartel within Michoacan.

Historically, the USDA has maintained a strict policy against any interference with its agricultural inspectors’ duties, including any implied threats. For instance, in February 2022, the USDA suspended avocado inspections for a week due to a verbal threat reported by an inspector.

That brief suspension in February 2022 led to a significant reduction of about 25 million pounds of Mexican avocados being shipped to the United States within the first two weeks of that month. This shortage caused an immediate increase in prices and prompted earlier and heavier shipments of California avocados to the market, impacting supply and demand dynamics for months.