Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced Monday that livestock imports from Mexico may soon resume at select ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The decision came after “extensive collaboration” between the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and officials in Mexico, she said. This after the U.S. stopped southern border livestock imports on May 11, following reports of New World screwworm in northern Mexico. U.S. officials previously closed the border to livestock imports from November to February due to the risk of NWS.
The first border crossing set to reopen will be Douglas, Ariz., on July 7. USDA officials will evaluate the situation to determine if the resumption of imports has caused any adverse effects. Assuming all goes well, USDA will pursue a phased border reopening as follows:
July 14 for Columbus, N.M.
July 21 for Santa Teresa, N.M.
Aug. 18 for Del Rio, Texas
Sept. 15 for Laredo, Texas
USDA will evaluate the impact of each reopening before proceeding to the next. Additional entry points in New Mexico and later Texas may be reopened over the coming weeks if USDA determines it is safe to do so.
According to a June 30 USDA release, the Douglas port was determined to pose the lowest risk based on its geography and the history of collaboration between APHIS and the Mexican state of Sonora on animal health issues.
“We have made good progress with our counterparts in Mexico to increase vital pest surveillance efforts and have boosted sterile fly dispersal efforts,” Rollins said. “These quick actions by the Trump administration have improved the conditions to allow the phased reopening of select ports on the southern border to livestock trade.”
Rollins said USDA will continue its “posture of increased vigilance” until it determines NWS no longer poses a threat.
NCBA supports plan
Following Rollins’ announcement, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association issued a statement saying the organization stands with USDA and its plan to strategically open key ports of entry. CEO Colin Woodall said NCBA has worked with USDA for months to develop a plan to safeguard the U.S. cattle industry from NWS. He also praised the agency for the five-point plan that Rollins announced in June near the Texas-Mexico border.
“We trust Secretary Rollins made this decision with the latest information from USDA staff in Mexico, and we know she will continue holding her counterparts in the Mexican government accountable for eradicating screwworm,” Woodall said. “NCBA and our state affiliate partners will continue working with USDA and key members of Congress to protect the United States from New World screwworm.”
NWS mitigation efforts
APHIS conducted two on-site assessments of Mexico’s NWS response efforts in June. USDA has also been working closely with Mexico’s National Department of Health, Food Safety and Food Quality on education and training initiatives.
According to the USDA release, Mexico has made great progress on animal movement controls and surveillance. Still, U.S. officials said further progress will help ensure additional U.S. ports reopen. That includes enhanced animal movement controls to stem illegal animal imports, robust surveillance and risk mitigation beyond checkpoints.
USDA will only allow cattle and bison to cross the border if they were born and raised in the Mexican states of Sonora and Chihuahua, or treated in those states according to NWS protocols. The reopening of the Texas port of entries in Laredo and Del Rio will be contingent upon the states of Coahuila and Nuevo Leon adopting the same protocols implemented in Sonora and Chihuahua.
Equines may be imported from anywhere in Mexico; however, they will be subject to a seven-day quarantine at the port of entry.
Sterile fly production
Mexico is also set to begin renovations to a sterile fly facility in southern Mexico. Sterile flies are a critical tool in combating the spread of screwworms. The facility in Metapa, Chiapas, is expected to be completed by July 2026.
When finished, it will be capable of producing 60 million to 100 million sterile flies per week. This, along with a new sterile fly facility planned in Texas, will help animal health officials achieve their goal of about 400 million to 500 million sterile flies per week.
Long term, the hope is that the additional sterile flies will be capable of driving NWS back to the Darien Gap in Panama, where they will no longer be a threat to U.S. livestock.