Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 8/1/19

The Mexican government is threatening to dramatically increase border inspections of U.S. farm goods unless the Commerce Department backs down on its proposal to ramp up inspections of tomatoes from Mexico, Doug reports. The U.S. sold about $18.8 billion in farm goods to Mexico in fiscal 2018, while Mexico exported about $25.7 billion to the U.S. that year, including $2 billion worth of tomatoes.

How we got here: The standoff stems from the Florida tomato sector's long-standing complaints that their Mexican competitors sell tomatoes in the U.S. at unfairly low prices. The Commerce Department last week slapped a preliminary 25 percent tariff on tomato imports, and plans to issue a final duty determination by Sept. 19 — unless the two sides strike an agreement.