MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – A Mexican citizen has filed a complaint over alleged environmental damage from avocado production under the United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) free trade agreement, a filing shows.
The complainant, whose name is not revealed, argues that Mexico does not properly apply its own environmental laws around protecting forestry and water supplies from the disruption caused by avocado plantations in Michoacan state, the country’s top avocado producing region.
The filing, submitted Feb. 2 to the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), claims that between 1976 and 2005, between 25% and 35% of forests disappeared in parts of Michoacan. The complaint also flagged negative impacts on water quality.
It comes as demand is high for Mexican avocados, a food beloved by U.S consumers for snacks during the Super Bowl pro football championship, which takes place on Sunday.
Mexico’s agricultural ministry and economy ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the compliant.
The CEC said in a statement last week that it would review the submission within 30 days and determine whether it falls under the articles of the T-MEC pact.
Mexican avocados were put back in the spotlight last year when the United States briefly paused avocado shipments from Michoacan after a U.S. official was threatened.
The United States imported $3 billion in avocados globally in 2021, with the bulk of that, $2.8 billion, coming from Mexico, according to the USDA.
(Reporting by Isabel Woodford; additional reporting by Cassandra Garrison; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
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