USDA says inspections of Mexican avocados halted over safety of U.S. personnel

U.S. Department of Agriculture inspections of avocados for export from Mexico's Michoacan state will remain suspended for "as long as necessary" to ensure the safety of U.S. inspectors working in Mexico after employees were threatened verbally, USDA's inspection division said on Monday.

The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) said in an emailed statement to Reuters that it was working with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to allow avocados that were inspected on or before Feb. 11 to be imported into the United States.

The suspension of U.S. inspections in Michoacan, a state with chronic problems with gang violence, was first announced on Saturday by Mexico's agriculture ministry.