A POPULAR produce item could quietly vanish from grocery shelves across the US, and officials warn the damage may already be done.
Industry leaders say a 2024 federal decision triggered the crisis, removing US oversight from foreign farms without any public announcement.
The California Avocado Commission said that the fruit is now at serious risk after the USDA pulled inspectors from Mexican orchards.
“This action, prompted by cartel violence, transferred essential US agricultural oversight to foreign authorities, disrupting longstanding bipartisan measures aimed at safeguarding US agriculture,” the commission noted in a critical new analysis.
The system had protected US crops from invasive pests for nearly 30 years, until it was dismantled.
The choice to withdraw USDA personnel from Mexican orchards was implemented in late 2024 by the Biden administration due to violent acts and threats from Mexican drug cartels, as reported by the CAC.
However, the change was never shared with Congress or American growers.
California officials say they weren’t even told, and only learned about the inspector’s withdrawal from foreign media.
They now accuse the federal government of violating a 1997 agreement that allowed the US to import the fruit under strict rules.
That deal had ended a ban dating back to 1914, when US authorities feared pests would threaten local farms.
For decades, the USDA’s physical presence in Mexico kept the industry clean and pest-free, the report notes.
Growers in California avoided heavy pesticide use and maintained access to export markets with strict safety standards.
“The previous system was effective for almost thirty years… and operated with outstanding efficiency, preventing invasive species such as seed weevils and fruit-boring moths from entering California, thereby preserving the state’s impeccable pest-free status,” the analysis explains.
Without inspectors on the ground, the CAC says infected fruit is now making it through foreign inspections and onto US soil.
“Mexican inspections alone cannot be trusted to meet the phytosanitary standards the US has long required,” the report warns.
Since the USDA left, over 150 pest interceptions have already been reported between October 30, 2024, and March 11, 2025.
In the 10 months before the change, there were zero interceptions recorded, according to USDA data.
California Avocado Commission Statement
The California Avocado Commission released a report today titled “The Growing Threat to California Avocados: Why USDA Must Reinstate Inspection Protocols in Mexico.”
It warns of a severe risk to California’s $1.5 billion avocado industry following the 2024 decision by the Biden administration to withdraw USDA inspectors from Mexican orchards. This move, made in response to cartel violence, shifted critical US agricultural oversight to foreign control, undermining decades of bipartisan efforts to protect US agriculture.
Since the withdrawal, more than 150 pest interceptions have been reported between October 30, 2024, and March 11, 2025. These primarily involve dangerous avocado seed weevils like Macrocopturus aguacatae and Conotrachelus perseae. These pests are virtually impossible to eradicate once introduced.
They threaten over 3,000 family farms, potentially forcing them into costly pesticide use, undermining California’s clean-grown avocado status, and jeopardizing international trade.
“The Biden administration’s decision to remove USDA inspectors from Mexican orchards represents a dangerous departure from nearly 30 years of successful pest control and agricultural security,” said Ken Melban, Vice President of Industry Affairs and Operations at CAC. “America cannot allow criminal cartels to dictate the terms of our food safety. If the agreed-upon inspection requirements cannot be maintained due to safety concerns, that privilege must be suspended.”
The report highlights the critical need for swift action to protect US agriculture. It calls for the immediate reinstatement of the USDA’s 1997 inspection protocols, which had been in place under Presidents Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Trump’s first term. The Commission also urges the Trump administration to enhance security measures for US inspectors and ensure that Mexico upholds phytosanitary standards as required for US market access.
“Our growers are facing unprecedented biological threats because of this policy change,” Melban said. “Reinstating the original inspection protocols is the only way to restore confidence in our ability to defend our food systems from foreign threats.”
California’s $1.5 billion industry supports over 3,000 family-run farms and is one of the last major regions still free from the most devastating pests.
The group is now urging the USDA to send inspectors back under armed security, especially in high-risk regions like Michoacan.
They are also calling on the Trump administration to take action and suspend Mexican imports if safety rules aren’t enforced.
Roughly 80% of Mexico’s exports end up on US shelves, the CAC added.
“This crisis was preventable,” the report concludes. “It is still reversible.”
