México prevails in WTO dispute against Costa Rica over avocado restrictive measures in WTO framework

#SecretaríaDeEconomía.- The World Trade Organization (WTO) released the final report concluding that Costa Rica breached its obligations under the WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) by imposing unjustified restrictions on avocados from Mexico.

This dispute dates back to April 2015, when the Costa Rican State Phytosanitary Service (SFE) suspended the importation of avocados from Mexico, citing an alleged «high risk» arising from the importation of Mexican avocados for the possible presence of the sun spot viroid (ASBVd).

The WTO panel decision confirms that the measures imposed by Costa Rica are inconsistent with the SPS Agreement because: they were not based on a risk assessment appropriate to the circumstances, and discriminate against Mexican avocados vis-à-vis Costa Rican avocados with the probable presence of ASBVd. Similarly, the panel confirmed that the avocados exported by Mexico are destined for human consumption and do not represent any risk to the health of the crop, as shown by more than two decades of uninterrupted trade with no record of any mishap involving the export of Mexican avocados to the rest of the world.

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