May 11, 2021

Mexico stays open to US organic exports

Mexican authorities will keep doors open to U.S. organic products through the end of 2021.

The USDA wrote in a newsletter that Mexico’s agriculture secretariat extended the deadline for U.S. organic exports to be certified to its Organic Products Law (LPO) after U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack met with his counterpart, Secretary Victor Villalobos.

“Through 2021, USDA-certified organic products may continue to be exported, but on January 1, 2022, organic products exported from the U.S. to Mexico must be certified to the LPO standard,” according to the newsletter.

Vilsack released a short statement on the USDA website:

“I am pleased to report that on May 7, 2021, Mexico’s Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development extended the deadline for U.S. organic exports to be certified to its LPO. This is a request that I made directly to Mexico’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development Victor Villalobos and am grateful that he extended the compliance deadline to December 31, 2021. USDA-certified organic products may continue to be exported through 2021. USDA will continue to work with U.S. organic exporters to assist in transitioning to LPO compliance and will continue to provide updates as necessary. This is another important step for American agriculture and for maintaining positive bilateral relations between the United States and Mexico, one of our most important export markets.”

The USDA’s Foreign Agriculture Service in Mexico City has written a report detailing the history of the issue.

The government of Mexico also has an information page on the LPO law, Q&A document and list of accredited certifiers.