Seeing Red in a World of Green

Seeing red in a world of green, there is an uproar brewing when it comes to avocado inspections.

From Mexico News Daily, the Mexican government announced Monday that the U.S. has consented to authorize Mexico’s Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry to do inspections to certify avocado orchards whose harvests are designated for export to the U.S. This follows a 10-day suspension of U.S. inspectors prompted after two USDA inspectors had been threatened while making rounds in one of the two Mexican states authorized to export avocados into the U.S.

In a letter from the California Avocado Commission to USDA Secretary Vilsack, the group sets forth their opposition to the sudden decision. In the letter, they state, “We expected and believe we are entitled to better treatment from APHIS.” They closed the letter by stating that discontent with the decision and disregard for the industry is growing by the hour and requested a response as soon as possible along with a request for availability for an in-person meeting.

For more information and to read the letter yourself, visit https://www.californiaavocadogrowers.com/articles/industry-alert-—%C2%A0call-action