A Mexican judge recently made a decision to continue the ban on importing U.S. potatoes into most of Mexico. Imports are currently allowed in land close to the U.S. – Mexican border but are prohibited from going further into the country. The NPC says the ruling ignores science and interferes with the role of the Mexican plant health regulatory authority. Experts from Mexico, USDA, as well as third-party experts, have all reviewed the impacts of importing fresh American potatoes into the entire Mexican countryside. The plant health authority has published a Pest Risk Assessment that shows any possible risk from the entry of fresh U.S. potatoes can be mitigated.
The Potato Council says the ruling will not limit the movement of U.S. potatoes into the legal 26-kilometer zone that starts at the U.S. border. The judge’s ruling is expected to be appealed by all parties with a direct interest in the case. U.S. potatoes were approved for access into the entire Mexican country back in 2013, but Mexican potato growers filed a legal challenge to that action.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting News Service.