October 1, 2026 — Mexico’s President Sheinbaum held a press conference with Mexico’s avocado industry leadership announcing new certifications for avocado production in Mexico to address labor and environmental traceability requirements.
October 2, 2026 — Fresh Plaza published an article, “Mexico bans exports of avocados grown in orchards located in deforested areas” highlighting a report from the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime that identified 80% of avocado orchards in Michoacán were established illegally through deforestation
October 5, 2026 — a letter was sent by seven Congressional members to United States Trade Ambassador Greer regarding “Combating Mexican Cartel Infiltration of the Avocado trade into the US as part of USMCA renegotiation.”
- From the Congressional letter, “Preferential access to the American market should not allow Mexican cartels to use their influence over the supply chain to undercut lawful U.S. producers. Reasonable limits on surges would help USTR accomplish its USMCA seasonal produce and trade-deficit reduction goals while preserving domestic production and preventing American growers from becoming the latest casualties of the Mexican cartels. For these reasons, we respectfully urge you to make reasonable and enforceable limits on avocado surges from Mexico a priority in the USMCA renegotiation.”
- Media: https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/california-republicans-warn-cartel-linked-avocado-imports-threaten-us-growers.amp
October 6, 2026 — the Commission issued a press release, “Mexico’s New Avocado Certificates Paper Over a Supply Chain That Is 80% Illegal and Still Cartel-Embedded" and as a result Politico published a story. A snippet from CAC’s release is as follows: “California avocado growers aren’t simply competing against foreign farmers, they are competing in a market where drug cartels extort growers, seize land, influence production, and profit from the agricultural supply chain,” Melban said. "Mexico has admitted the problem. A certificate is an attempt to paper over the fact that 80 percent of the orchards are already illegal.”
The Commission remains steadfast in our call for a TRQ. Mexico’s volume surges/excesses must be addressed to restore a U.S. market that is fair to U.S. growers.