U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar says a voluntary certification program will help ensure that Michoacán avocados exported to the U.S. do not come from illegal orchards or from deforested areas.
In an online statement Sept. 20, Salazar said the Michoacán government is working to prevent illegal avocado orchards from shipping fruit to the U.S.
“Through the Decree for Certification against Deforestation and the voluntary Pro-Forest Avocado certification, more than 148,000 hectares of avocado orchards will be part of this initiative,” Salazar said. “In this way, it should be possible to guarantee that the avocados exported to the United States do not come from illegal orchards or from deforested areas. We hope to see a rigorous implementation of this program.”
Salazar said the initiative will also help local producers contribute to conservation and to remedy environmental damage.
“The participation of the Association of Producers and Packers Exporters of Avocado of Mexico (APEAM) is crucial in this work,” he said. “I recognize the work of farmworkers in food security in North America and reaffirm our commitment to continue working with our partners in Mexico to protect the planet, combat climate change and promote environmentally responsible practices,” Salazar said.
In April 2024, the Center for Biological Diversity sent a letter to the U.S. State Department and other agencies urging a halt to imports of avocados from deforested land.
“I hope the United States and Mexico can ensure that avocados tied to deforestation in Michoacán aren’t hitting the US market, but the devil is in the details,” Tanya Sanerib, international legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement. “To protect forests, monarch butterflies and local communities, we need system change, not paper plans. While this announcement might be a step in the right direction, the United States needs to drive environmental protection by setting its own verifiable and demanding standards.”
