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7h ago

USDA Reopens Agua Prieta–Douglas Cattle Crossing

The move tests a phased reopening pairing strict inspections and RFID tagging with ongoing surveillance to balance trade relief and pest control.

A rancher unloads calves at the pens of the regional cattle ranchers association ahead of the announced reopening of the U.S. border to Mexican cattle imports, in Hermosillo, Mexico, Monday, Aug. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
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Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, center, attends a press conference where a crate of 80,000 sterile New World Screwworm pupae is installed at Chapparosa Ranch on June 11, in La Pryor.
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Overview

  • The USDA reopened the Agua Prieta–Douglas cattle crossing on Monday, allowing Mexico to resume limited live‑cattle exports to the United States under U.S. supervision.
  • Mexico began sending about 700 head per day through the crossing under a controlled plan that can expand if border inspections and monitoring prove effective.
  • U.S. protocols require radio‑frequency identification ear tags, intensive border inspections, laboratory support, specialized detection equipment and trained dogs to trace and screen animals.
  • As of Aug. 23 the USDA reported 46 total U.S. New World screwworm cases with two active and Mexican authorities report about 1,969 active cases, so officials say surveillance and sterile‑fly releases will continue.
  • Ranchers on both sides are expected to feel immediate relief from resumed trade because the closure that began in May 2025 cut Mexican export income and strained U.S. cattle supply, and further reopenings will depend on the Douglas operation remaining stable.