The US Department of Agriculture suspended avocado verification and shipment from Mexico's Michoacán state on August 5 after armed groups threatened its on-the-ground inspectors; without US inspection, Mexican avocados cannot legally enter the US market; industry groups said the halt 'directly impacts' the inspection system, and Mexico's trade confederation Cocena framed the suspension as US pressure to force Mexico into compliance with USMCA obligations
The trilateral trade agreement governing roughly US$1.8 trillion in annual North American commerce, currently under a decade of annual reviews after the US declined to extend it in July 2026.
full dossier ›US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer arrived in Mexico City on July 23 for the third bilateral review round of the USMCA, meeting Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard and President Claudia Sheinbaum; Greer signalled the US will seek provisional arrangements with Mexico before end-2026 and said renewal of the agreement depends partly on Mexico's cooperation on water-sharing and border security
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on July 21 that new US tariffs on Canadian goods violate the CUSMA trade agreement, while agreeing in a phone call with Trump to intensify trade discussions; Canadian provinces agreed to cut barriers on cross-provincial alcohol sales in a concession aimed at defusing Trump's latest move
US President Donald Trump on July 20 signed three proclamations under Section 338 of the Tariff Act imposing 50% tariffs on a wide range of Canadian exports, set to take effect in 30 days; the move extends to goods previously shielded by the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, a sharp escalation of the ongoing trade dispute
Six active US-led tariff confrontations, from the US-China axis to the US-Brazil standoff, are redrawing supply chains and testing every major economy's alignment.
Washington forgoes the joint extension, leaving ~$2 trillion in North American trade under prolonged uncertainty