Overview
- The United States suspended USDA inspection activities in Michoacán on August 5 after a security alert, and Washington announced a phased resumption of official inspections on August 8 in Tancítaro, Tacámbaro, Uruapan and the Morelia–Pátzcuaro corridor.
- Mexico deployed 1,557 Army and Guardia Nacional personnel to key municipalities and packing centers on August 6 to secure routes, empacadoras and inspection points, a move U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson publicly credited for enabling the limited restart.
- Industry group APEAM reported that about 9,000 tonnes of already-packed fruit began moving toward the United States and roughly 1,000 tonnes remain in preparation, while SADER says 75% of Michoacán packing houses are currently habilitated for export.
- The restart is gradual and conditional: U.S. officials will continue site-by-site safety reviews before restoring full inspection operations and Mexican authorities have proposed using SENASICA staff as an alternative verifier if U.S. personnel cannot operate safely.
- This is the latest of repeated security-driven interruptions to the U.S.-bound flow from Michoacán, and analysts warn that longer suspensions could force fruit to domestic markets, raise storage and transport costs for growers, and squeeze producer incomes.