California Avocado Commission says avocado orchards face ‘catastrophic’ risk

The Avocado California Committee (CAC) urges the Trump administration to take measures to help protect the avocado industry in Golden State from insect pests in Mexico.

In a new report, the Trade Association issued a series of recommendations that believe that the Trump administration and the US Department of Agriculture (US Department of Agriculture) should take it to maintain pests in Mexico from seriously damaging the avocado industry in California.

Among the recommendations dating back to the original US Ministry of Agriculture inspection protocols that it used to on avocado and avocado farms under the 1997 action plan, especially the presence of inspectors in the US Department of Agriculture in orchards.

In September 2024, the Biden Administration decided to end the American Ministry of Agriculture program called animal and plant health inspection service in the context of farm examination in Mexico to ensure that the exported avocado to the United States did not include pests that could disrupt American agriculture. The change of policy came after the Mexico criminals assaulted the assault on the inspectors and threatened in recent years.

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Instead, Mexico was accused of ensuring that the border -sent avocado was free of harmful pests, such as seeds, stem sazas and seed mites.

CAC said in its report that there was a “dramatic boom” in avocado pest objections in Mexican packages since late October.

Mexican avocado appears for sale in a market in Mexico City in 2022. (Pedo Pardo/AFP via Getty Images)

Inspectors of the US Department of Agriculture in Mexican Mobilization Homes discovered harmful pests in more than 150 different “objections” between October 30, 2024 and March 11 this year, compared to nothing between January 1 and October 17 of last year, citing the data of the US Department of Agriculture.

This refers to a “systematic collapse in pest control” and requires taking action from the United States government, according to CAC.

The Trade Association said in its report: “These pests constitute a catastrophic risk of pest -free orchards in California.” “Once it is established, it is impossible to eliminate farmers, forcing farmers to use exorbitant pesticides, environmentally retrieval, threatening access to international trade, and providing non -name fruits.”

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In addition to calling on the US government to “restore full supervision of the US Department of Agriculture for ORCARD and Backinghouse” in Mexico, CAC recommended the implementation of the Trump security administration to protect Avocado inspectors in the US Department of Agriculture in the country in cooperation with the Mexican authorities.

She said that the government should “consider their inspectors in safe convoys, rotate employees in high -risk areas, or create temporary safe inspection areas” and do not allow the export of Mexican Avocado to the United States if the neighboring country “cannot guarantee safety for workers in the United States.”

Former President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump (Getty Images)

CAC recommended that the federal government must also communicate with Mexico that avocado of Mexican orchards and packaging cannot come to the United States if the US Department of Agriculture inspectors cannot check the sites from which they come.

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Fox Business has arrived at the US Department of Agriculture to comment.

The United States receives nearly 80 % of the Mexico avocado, making it a major source of fruit for America, according to the US Department of Agriculture’s report. In 2024, Mexican avocado accounted for 88 % of the total American avocado imports.

The value of the avocado industry in California is $ 1.5 billion, according to CAC. It produced more than 363.6 million pounds of fruit during the 2023-2024 season.

Emma Colon, from Fox News Digitter, contributed to this report.