Mexico's agricultural council demands evidence from U.S. before border closures

Mexico's agricultural sector is pushing back against U.S. health alerts, demanding concrete scientific proof before any potential border closures affect food exports. The National Agricultural Council (CNA) expressed concern that "generalizing a suspicion to entire categories of products or to an entire country, without having concluded the corresponding technical tracking, can generate unnecessary alarm among consumers, unfairly affect producers and workers, and cause distortions in highly integrated markets."

The CNA highlighted that claims of sanitary risks, such as those made regarding lettuce, jalapeño peppers, cilantro, and parsley, often lack "conclusive scientific evidence or complete traceability of the supply chain." The council pointed to the avocado export suspension as an example, stating it occurred "without clarity on the reasons and facts that motivated this measure." It also noted that after Mexican lettuce was cleared of a parasite, a former FDA director suggested the parasite might originate from Mexican cilantro and parsley.

Producers and exporters assert they adhere to stringent U.S. regulations, including the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and FDA requirements, alongside national standards and private certifications. The CNA urged the U.S. government to "strengthen coordination channels, transparently share available technical information, and avoid generalized measures that do not correspond to fully identified and duly substantiated risks."

The organization aims to foster a commercial relationship with the U.S. built on "trust, transparency, certainty, and recognition of the safety systems that sustain North America's agri-food supply and integration." The CNA acknowledged the Mexican government's support in addressing the impacts on agri-food companies.

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fortalecer los canales de coordinación, compartir de manera transparente la información técnica disponible y evitar medidas generalizadas que no correspondan a riesgos plenamente identificados y debidamente sustentados.