Overview
- Mexico and the United States reopened the Agua Prieta (Sonora)–Douglas (Arizona) corridor and the first inspected shipment of roughly 716–750 cattle crossed after reviews by Mexican and U.S. authorities on Monday, August 24.
- The restart follows a staged quota plan that begins at about 700–750 head per day, rises to roughly 900 in the second week, and aims to reach 1,300–1,500 daily as inspections validate safety.
- Authorities imposed tight sanitary controls that include electronic RFID traceability from birth, inspection arches and canine checks, expanded quarantine capacity at Agua Prieta, and continued releases of sterile flies and targeted sanitary brigades.
- The sector faces heavy losses from the year‑plus suspension with industry estimates of $2.4–$3+ billion in forgone export value and Sonora reporting about $350 million in local damages, and producers expect the reopening to ease local oversupply and low domestic prices.
- Broader reopening to other border crossings will depend on results from this initial phase and USDA confirmation, and the outbreak remains active in Mexico with roughly 1,900–1,970 cases recorded, which keeps the restart conditional and reversible.