Mexico City, Mexico
November 5, 2012

USDA/FAS GAIN report MX 2080

Report Highlights:

On October 31, SAGARPA/SENASICA issued long expected revised organic production guidelines. This latest version is currently undergoing internal review and if approved, would then be sent to the Diario Oficial.

General Information:

On October 31, Mexico’s Agriculture Secretariat (SAGARPA), via its regulatory agency, SENASICA, issued long expected revised organic production guidelines. These guidelines would essentially create Mexico’s equivalent of the USDA National Organic Program, with production certifications, lists of approved pesticides and fertilizers, and marketing regulations. At this point, it is not clear how similar Mexico’s program will be to USDA Organic. Interested parties and trade associations will likely complete line-by-line comparative analyses.

This latest version is currently undergoing internal review with COFEMER (Mexico’s OMB equivalent), for an estimated 10 days. If approved, it would then be sent to the Diario Oficial (Mexican Federal Register) for an expected six month implementation period. For more information on how to provide comments regarding this draft, see the docket on COFEMER’s website at the following link:
http://207.248.177.30/regulaciones/scd_expediente_3.asp?ID=12/1339/311012

At this time, all information is in Spanish.

The USDA National Organic Program and associated regulations can be found here: http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/nop  

FAS/Mexico Web Site: We are available at www.mexico-usda.com or visit the FAS headquarters' home page at www.fas.usda.gov for a complete selection of FAS worldwide agricultural reporting.

FAS/Mexico YouTube Channel: Catch the latest videos of FAS Mexico at work http://www.youtube.com/user/ATOMexicoCity 

 Useful Mexican Web Sites: Mexico's equivalent of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (SAGARPA) can be found at www.sagarpa.gob.mx, the equivalent of the U.S. Department of Commerce (SE) can be found at www.economia.gob.mx, and the equivalent of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (SALUD) can be found at www.salud.gob.mx. These web sites are mentioned for the reader's convenience but USDA does NOT in any way endorse, guarantee the accuracy of, or necessarily concur with, the information contained on the mentioned sites.

Website: http://www.fas.usda.gov/

Published: November 7, 2012