Current:Home > MyU.S. to resume avocado inspections in Mexican state that were halted by violence-InfoLens
U.S. to resume avocado inspections in Mexican state that were halted by violence
View Date:2024-12-23 19:56:47
U.S. government inspections of avocados and mangoes in the Mexican state of Michoacan will gradually resume, U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar announced Friday, a week after they were suspended over an assault on inspectors.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors "will gradually begin to return to the packing plants following recent aggression against them," Salazar said in a statement. "However, it is still necessary to advance in guaranteeing their security before reaching full operations."
"In fact, more work still needs to be done so that the (agriculture) inspectors are safe and can resume inspections and thereby eliminate the impediments to the trade of avocado and mango to the United States from Michoacan."
Last weekend, two USDA employees were assaulted and temporarily held by assailants in Michoacan, Salazar said earlier this week. That led the U.S. to suspend inspections in Mexico's biggest avocado-producing state.
The employees work for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Because the U.S. also grows avocados, U.S. inspectors work in Mexico to ensure exported avocados don't carry diseases that could hurt U.S. crops.
Earlier this week, Michoacan Gov. Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla said the inspectors had been stopped in a protest by residents of Aranza in western Michoacan on June 14.
He downplayed the situation, suggesting the inspectors were never at risk. He said that he got in touch with the U.S. Embassy the following day and that state forces were providing security for the state's avocado producers and packers.
Many avocado growers in Michoacan say drug gangs threaten them or their family members with kidnapping or death unless they pay protection money, sometimes amounting to thousands of dollars per acre.
There have also been reports of organized crime bringing avocados grown in other states not approved for export and trying to 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. plant safety inspector in Michoacan received a threatening message. The halt was lifted after about a week.
Later that year, Jalisco became the second Mexican state authorized to export avocados to the U.S.
Michoacan is in the midst of ongoing cartel violence between the Jalisco New Generation cartel and the Michoacan-based gang, the Viagras. The State Department issued a Level 4 travel advisory for Michoacán last week, advising Americans not to travel to the state due to concerns of crime and kidnapping.
Earlier this week, Salazar said he will travel to Mexico next week to meet with Bedolla to address security concerns, among other issues.
The new pause in inspections didn't block shipments of Mexican avocados to the U.S., because Jalisco is now an exporter and there are a lot of Michoacan avocados already in transit.
Salazar said he was optimistic things were moving in a positive direction, but would not be satisified until the inspectors can work without threats to their safety.
- In:
- Drug Cartels
- Mexico
- Cartel
veryGood! (981)
Related
- Pie, meet donuts: Krispy Kreme releases Thanksgiving pie flavor ahead of holidays
- Former Polish President Lech Walesa, 80, says he is better but remains hospitalized with COVID-19
- Officer and utility worker killed in hit-and-run crash; suspect also accused of stealing cruiser
- Beyoncé celebrates 'Renaissance' film debuting at No. 1: 'Worth all the grind'
- Kim Kardashian Says She's Raising Her and Kanye West's 4 Kids By Herself
- UK says Russia’s intelligence service behind sustained attempts to meddle in British democracy
- Denmark’s parliament adopts a law making it illegal to burn the Quran or other religious texts
- US House chair probes ballot shortages that hampered voting in Mississippi’s largest county
- Kim Kardashian Says She's Raising Her and Kanye West's 4 Kids By Herself
- United Nations bemoans struggles to fund peacekeeping as nations demand withdrawal of missions
Ranking
- Just Eat Takeaway sells Grubhub for $650 million, just 3 years after buying the app for $7.3 billion
- Divides over trade and Ukraine are in focus as EU and China’s leaders meet in Beijing
- Narcissists are everywhere, but you should never tell someone they are one. Here's why.
- Sara Bareilles admits she was 'freaked out' recording 'Waitress' live musical movie
- Stock market today: Asian stocks decline as China stimulus plan disappoints markets
- Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori is freed from prison on humanitarian grounds
- Jamie Dimon on the cryptocurrency industry: I'd close it down
- Wisconsin appeals court upholds decisions denying company permit to build golf course near park
Recommendation
-
'Joker 2' actor pans DC sequel as the 'worst film' ever: 'It has no plot'
-
A milestone for Notre Dame: 1 year until cathedral reopens to public after devastating fire
-
Which NFL teams are in jeopardy of falling out of playoff picture? Ranking from safe to sketchy
-
Robert Pattinson and Suki Waterhouse Make First Public Appearance Together Since Pregnancy Reveal
-
Forget the bathroom. When renovating a home, a good roof is a no-brainer, experts say.
-
Did you get a credit approval offer from Credit Karma? You could be owed money.
-
National security advisers of US, South Korea and Japan will meet to discuss North Korean threat
-
AP Election Brief | What to expect in Houston’s mayoral runoff election