Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has hit out at U.S. authorities for suspending avocado imports from Mexico after U.S. officials said a plant inspector received an unspecified “verbal threat.”
“The suspension will remain in place for as long as necessary to ensure the appropriate actions are taken, to secure the safety of Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service personnel working in Mexico,” the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said in a statement. U.S. inspectors work in Mexico to ensure exported avocados don’t carry diseases that could hurt U.S. crops.
On Tuesday, Lopez Obrador suggested that a conspiracy was afoot, saying there is always an “economic, commercial or political interest” behind U.S. bans on Mexican produce.
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