New York, June 29, 2026 — Recent letters from United States (U.S.) senators and more than 50 environmental and food organizations reflect growing international support for a Mexican certification program that is helping reduce deforestation linked to avocado production, Climate Rights International said today.

On June 24, more than 50 environmental and food organizations urged major U.S. grocery chains to source avocados only from packinghouses certified under the Pro-Forest Agriculture (PFA) program, administered by the independent Mexican organization Guardián Forestal. The following day, five U.S. senators called on U.S. officials to engage with the Mexican government regarding the future of PFA and its relationship to a planned federal “zero deforestation” initiative.

“These letters recognize the significant progress that Guardián Forestal, the Michoacán government, and participating companies have made in addressing avocado-driven deforestation,” said Daniel Wilkinson, Senior Policy Advisor at Climate Rights International. “PFA has demonstrated that independent monitoring and market-based incentives can help protect forests while supporting responsible producers.”

Both letters highlighted the success of PFA, developed by Guardián Forestal with support from the Michoacán government. The environmental organizations described it as “a proven program with widespread support among packinghouses and informed consumers.” The senators likewise highlighted PFA as an effective, science-based program that creates market incentives for producers to comply with Mexico’s environmental laws.

PFA is a voluntary certification program administered by Guardián Forestal that enables avocado companies to use satellite monitoring to screen suppliers and exclude orchards linked to recent deforestation and other environmental harms. Supported by local communities affected by forest loss, water scarcity, and violence linked to avocado expansion, the program creates market incentives for producers to comply with Mexico’s environmental laws while helping protect forests and the rights of affected communities.

The two letters also emphasized that the planned federal initiative to address avocado-driven deforestation should strengthen—not replace—PFA. In April, Mexico’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) and the Association of Avocado Exporting Producers and Packers of Mexico (APEAM), the avocado producers and exporters association that administers the operational framework governing avocado exports to the U.S., announced a new “zero deforestation” initiative for avocado exports.

Although many details remain undisclosed, APEAM has indicated that orchards with recent deforestation could become eligible through administrative regularization and remediation procedures overseen by federal authorities. APEAM has also called on Mexican packinghouses to abandon the Pro-Forest Agriculture (PFA) program.

The environmental organizations urged retailers to continue relying on PFA as their own due diligence standard even after the federal program is implemented, while the senators called on U.S. officials to encourage Mexico to support PFA as a complement to the federal initiative and to seek clarification regarding efforts to replace it.

Climate Rights International’s 2023 report, Unholy Guacamole, documented widespread illegal deforestation, water capture, and violence linked to avocado production in Mexico. Since then, the PFA program, originally established in Michoacán, has expanded to nearly 80 packinghouses, guacamole processors, and avocado oil producers in six states—representing more than 90 percent of Mexican avocado exports to the U.S.

“Any serious effort by Mexico’s federal government to address avocado-driven deforestation deserves strong support,” Wilkinson said. “But if SEMARNAT and APEAM are serious about protecting Mexico’s forests, they should support PFA—not seek to displace it. A credible federal initiative should reinforce a program that is already delivering measurable results with the active participation of most Mexican avocado exporters.”

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