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yesterday

US Suspends Livestock Imports from Mexico Over Screwworm Spread

The USDA enforces a month-to-month ban on live cattle, horse, and bison imports as the parasite advances 700 miles from the US border.

Cattle are held in a corral before being exported to the United States through the Jeronimo-Santa Teresa border crossing after U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced an agreement with Mexico on the management of the New World screwworm at the Chihuahua Regional Livestock Union facility, outside Ciudad Juarez, Mexico April 29, 2025. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez/File Photo
Image
Cochliomyia hominivorax, the New World Screwworm fly, is a species of parasitic fly that is well known for the way in which its larvae eat living tissue.

Overview

  • The New World Screwworm, a parasitic fly that infests warm-blooded animals, has been detected in Oaxaca and Veracruz, Mexico, 700 miles from the US border.
  • The USDA has implemented an immediate suspension of live animal imports from Mexico, citing an 'unacceptable northward advancement' of the pest.
  • The suspension will be reviewed monthly and will remain until significant containment progress is achieved, according to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins.
  • Mexican officials, including Agriculture Secretary Julio Berdegué, have expressed disagreement with the measure but remain hopeful for a resolution.
  • The eradication strategy includes releasing sterile flies in southern Mexico and Central America, with US and Mexican authorities working to curb the parasite's spread.