USDA suspends Mexican livestock over screwworm threat

JUÁREZ, Chihuahua (KVIA) -- U. S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced last night the suspension of all live cattle and livestock imports from Mexico into the U.S.

In a post on X, Secretary Rollins said, "Due to the threat of New World Screwworm, I am announcing the suspension of live cattle, horse, & bison imports through U. S. southern border ports of entry effective immediately. The last time this devastating pest invaded America, it took 30 years for our cattle industry to recover. This cannot happen again."

The chairman of the Chihuahua Cattleman's Association (Unión Ganadera Regional de Chihuahua), Álvaro Iván Bustillos Fuentes, stated that it is unacceptable for Chihuahua and the exporting states to bear the burden of border closures due to the inaction of the Mexican federal government.

"We cannot allow cattle to continue crossing the country's southern border, and we must issue a strong call against the irresponsibility of the cattle feeders, who are putting the assets of thousands of cattle ranchers at risk. There is no order in this country, and there is inaction from the authorities and tremendous uncertainty," Chairman Bustillos added.

Today, the last round of about 1,800 cattle heads crossed from Ciudad Juárez to Santa Teresa, New Mexico; before the screwworm infestation, cattlemen used to export around 3,200.

This temporary border closure represents a pause for 100,000 head of cattle that will be unable to export, with an economic impact of $50 million, given the $500 cost per head for Chihuahua alone. Added to this are the cattle from Durango, Coahuila, and Tamaulipas that crossed through the Chihuahua livestock union's facilities.

"As long as we don't give this contingency the importance it deserves, it is not just a factor for animals, for livestock, and we do not take it seriously as an issue that concerns human health, we will not be able to resolve this, " Chairman Bustillos added. "We must give it the importance it deserves; this is a matter for human health."

Chihuahua officials said it's not just livestock that gets infected, but also dogs, pets, horses, pigs, sheep, and humans.