Mexico’s Agriculture Secretary Julio Verdeguer said he disagreed with the move.
The US will suspend imports of cattle, horses and bison that have lived across the tropical border due to the spread of screw worms in Mexico’s New World, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) said on May 11.
“Conservation of our animals and the security of our country’s food supply are the most important national security issues,” she said. “This is not about Mexican politics or punishment, it’s about food and animal safety.”
The USDA said it would restrict the import of live animal goods that arise from or pass through Mexico every month “until a critical window of containment is achieved.”
“We continue to be committed to opening the borders of livestock trade when we see an increase in surveillance and eradication efforts and positive outcomes of those actions,” Rollins said.
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“I disagree with this measure, but I am confident that we will reach an agreement sooner than later,” Berdegué said on social media platform X.
Screwworms are known to infect livestock, wildlife and, in rare cases, humans. Screwworms can dig holes into the skin of living animals, causing serious or fatal damage.
“Infection with the NWS (New World Screwworm) is extremely painful,” the CDC said. “If there is an NWS invasion, maggots (larvae) may be around or in open wounds.”
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) supported a move to halt livestock imports along the tropical border, but acknowledged the potential economic impact of the measure.
“We were able to avoid USDA’s border closure completely,” Woodall said. “U.S. government officials, the NCBA and related state cow industry association leaders have been issuing warnings for months.”
US officials warned that if the issue is not resolved by April 30, the USDA would limit the import of animal goods along the border.
“We are currently at a critical inflection point in this shared campaign against pests. I am very concerned about our collaboration,” Rollins wrote in a letter to Verdeguet on April 26th.
Rollins said Mexico only allowed one of the companies hired to do air spraying to kill pests and fly six days a week, but imposed a “highly burdensome tariff” on the equipment needed to keep the planes airborne.
Jacob Berg contributed to this report.
