The official acknowledged that the issue reflects direct pressure from US producers who attribute their loss of competitiveness to preferential access to Mexican fruits and vegetables under the Agreement.
One of the cases that occurred was that of the blueberry. American producers accused that Mexican imports grew from less than a million pounds in 2009 to 147 million pounds in 2022. More than half of those shipments were concentrated between March and May, just when states like Georgia and Florida put their harvest on the market. The seasonal overlap, they stated, caused a drop in prices in a sector where 55% of US production is sold as fresh fruit and depends on immediate sales.
The pressure is compounded by a gap in labor costs. In the United States, the blueberry harvest depends on the H-2A program, which requires hiring temporary foreign workers with salaries set by the government, in addition to covering transportation, housing and benefits. This scheme raises labor to almost 50% of the total production cost. In contrast, producers noted that labor costs in Mexico are equivalent to about a tenth of U.S. wages.
The Mexican season runs from September to June, with peaks between February and May, which allows competition in the same commercial windows and pressures American farmers to operate at a loss.
The raspberry reproduces the same pattern. The Washington Red Raspberry Commission warned that Mexican imports saturate the market with low-priced fruit just as local farmers plant their own harvest.
While Washington producers sell raspberries between $2.70 and $2.80 per pound, Mexican fruit is offered around $1.50 per pound, a gap of more than 40%. The analysis highlights that, since 2019, the costs of labor, packaging and inputs in the United States have advanced without prices keeping pace, leaving farmers with no margin to cover basic expenses.
California avocado growers also raised their voices, charging that the growth of Mexican avocados distorted the U.S. market. Mexico has increased its production by more than 130% since the end of the last decade and increased its exports to the United States by more than 300%, representing around 85% of total imports.
Producers warned that this expansion, supported by lower labor and regulatory costs, pushed prices down and reduced the number of farmers in California, which is why they asked for seasonal safeguards and limits on Mexican imports within the T-MEC.
Nearly three-quarters of U.S. agricultural imports from Mexico consist of vegetables, fruits, beverages and distilled spirits.
The avocado raised the tone of the conflict to the health and security level. Producers criticized the replacement of American inspectors with Mexican personnel after the withdrawal of the United States health authority in 2024. Between October 2024 and March 2025, more than 150 pest interceptions were recorded, a figure much higher than that observed in previous years. The document recalls that pests originating in Mexico have already generated annual costs of more than 14 million dollars for the Californian industry.
Other signs
That’s not all, Mexican agriculture was also linked to agricultural inputs and environmental regulations. The Agricultural Retailers Association asked the USTR to collaborate with Mexico to eliminate tariff and non-tariff barriers, noting that the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources rejected glyphosate import permits without public notice, notification to the World Trade Organization or scientific justification. These decisions, they said, created uncertainty for manufacturers and distributors and affected product availability for farmers in the United States and North America.
Greer also stressed that Mexico’s performance in health and environmental matters remains under observation. He recognized advances derived from US pressure, such as the strengthening of the application of fishing laws to combat illegal fishing in the Upper Gulf of California. This point connects agri-food trade with environmental commitments that form an integral part of the treaty.
Another source of friction arose in processed agri-food products, where the United States expressed concern about the protection granted by Mexico to meat and cheese terms in favor of the European Union, considering that it limits the access of American producers to the Mexican market.
The panorama presented makes it clear that, for Washington, several agricultural issues linked to Mexico remain unresolved within the T-MEC.
