Lifting of Ban on Mexican Avocados Sows Discontent

As a farmer who raises avocados and one who is actively involved in the food-marketing system, I feel compelled to reply to your article “U.S. Lifts Ban on Avocados From Mexico” (Feb. 1).

The lifted ban is hailed as a success (by many quoted in your article) of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

If NAFTA equalizes only marketing and does nothing to address labor, water, land use, food safety and many other issues, then lifting the ban on avocados will simply be another “success” only for a few businesses and serve as a defeat for consumers and farmers.

As California eaters enjoy the benefits created throughout the state (through political, regulatory and social pressures), they also buy produce from around the world, often unknowingly.

This continues the downward fall: fewer and fewer California farmers, operating under these generally agreed-upon political, regulatory and social pressures.

The ultimate conclusion is a perfect set of California environmental and agricultural laws that no longer serve consumers since they apply only to nonexistent California farmers, and are (of course) not enforced on out-of-state producers.

We should all make sure that our laws, our actions and our spending contributes to our best interests.

MARK WALL

Avocado Farmer and

Coordinator of the

Southland Farmers’ Markets

Los Angeles