MEXICO CITY, MEXICO – Last Wednesday, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced steps to reduce the average price of food products in his country by 8 percent, which has U.S. exporters concerned.
According to the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), Mexico has been the top value and volume export market for the U.S. pork industry over the past year, and the decree, “Package Against Inflation and Famine,” will create a universal import license that will suspend import tariffs on certain food imports.
Moreover, this license will require companies, not the Mexican government, to verify sanitary and phytosanitary standards and is in place until at least March 1, 2023.
According to NPPC, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) have not issued statements regarding their role under this new mechanism, nor have they indicated how Mexico’s decree will impact imports from Mexico.
(SOURCE: All Ag News)