Organizations Urge State Department to Stop Avocado Imports Linked to Deforestation
27 organizations wrote a letter to the U.S. State Department urging them to stop imports of avocados linked to deforestation in Mexico. The group alleges that the deforestation is happening illegally and undermines international pledges made by the country to halt these practices.
The groups include the Animal Welfare Institute, the Endangered Species Coalition, and the Oceanic Preservation Society.
According to the letter, an estimated 10 football fields of forest are cleared every day to create avocado plantations in Mexico.
In addition to the deforestation concerns, some of the farming activity is occurring within the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve. The letter states that as of 2018, nearly 2,400 acres of the Reserve have been converted into avocado plantations.
Finally, the letter notes that the irrigation demand for avocado harvesting depletes water sources for local communities and leaves remaining native forests vulnerable to fire and disease.
Although Mexico is the largest U.S. supplier of avocados, providing almost 90% of the fruit sold in the U.S, the group notes that many Mexican growers have created legal avocado farms that could continue to supply the U.S.
The group requests that the State Department, USDA, and USTR work together to set up a program to ensure that the United States is only importing and marketing avocados that do not contribute to deforestation.
Read the full letter here.
