US-Mexico Border Stays Open   05/01 16:40

   US and Mexico Agree to Combat New World Screwworm to Prevent Spread

   The U.S. and Mexico reached an agreement to keep ports open for livestock 
imports despite New World Screwworm outbreak concerns. Mexico committed to 
eliminating restrictions on USDA aircraft and waiving customs duties on 
eradication equipment.

Jennifer Carrico
DTN Senior Livestock Editor

   REDFIELD, Iowa (DTN) -- Ports will remain open for livestock imports from 
Mexico to the U.S. following an agreement between the two countries about how 
to combat New World Screwworm (NWS).

   On Saturday, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins sent a letter to 
Mexico Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development Julio Antonio Berdegue 
Sacristan, warning that the outbreak of NWS "continues to expand in southern 
Mexico" and "we are now at a critical inflection point in our shared campaign 
against this pest, and I am very concerned about our collaboration."

   On Wednesday, making the deadline set in the letter, Rollins announced in a 
statement that Mexico committed to eliminate restrictions on USDA aircraft and 
waive customs duties on eradication equipment aiding in the response to the 
spread of NWS.

   "Due to this agreement the ports will remain open to livestock imports, 
however if at any time these terms are not upheld, port closure will be 
revisited," she said.

   PEST IS A THREAT

   NWS are fly larvae that infest mammals and birds, feeding as they go like a 
screw being driven into wood. Symptoms in these animals include irritated 
behavior, head shaking, smell of decay, evidence of fly strike and presence of 
fly larvae in the wounds, according to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection 
Service (APHIS). NWS can cause serious damage and even kill an animal.

   APHIS says the best prevention of NWS in the U.S. is by avoiding 
infestation. Eradicating NWS is only possible through the sterile insect 
technique. Since the female fly only mates once, this helps eliminate the 
problem.

   "I am happy to share Mexico has continued to partner in emergency efforts to 
eradicate the New World Screwworm. This pest is a devastating threat to both of 
our economies, and I am pleased to work together with Mexico in good faith to 
protect the livelihoods of our ranchers and producers who would have been hurt 
by this pest," Rollins added.

   Year-to-date, Mexico has exported more than 178,240 cattle to the U.S., 
mostly feeder cattle. That is about 38% of what Mexico sent to the U.S. in the 
same period of 2024. The U.S. temporarily banned Mexican cattle imports on Nov. 
22, 2024, and reopened the border to those cattle on Feb. 1, 2025.

   "At USDA we are working every day to keep pests and disease from harming our 
agricultural industry. I thank our frontline USDA staff and their counterparts 
in Mexico for their work to ensure the screwworm does not harm our livestock 
industry," Rollins said.

   Also see, "Rollins Warns Mexico Over Screwworm," 
https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/livestock/article/2025/04/28/ag-secreta
ry-presses-mexico-allow

   See, "APHIS Expands Biological Barrier Into Mexico to Help Prevent Screwworm 
Spread," 
https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/news/business-inputs/article/2025/02/27
/aphis-expands-biological-barrier

   Jennifer Carrico can be reached at jennifer.carrico@dtn.com

   Follow her on social platform X @JennCattleGal




(c) Copyright 2025 DTN, LLC. All rights reserved.