United States Department of Agriculture Mission to Mexico may lead to lifting of cattle import suspension amid New World Screwworm controversy

Posted: Wednesday, May 28, 2025. 11:36 am CST.

Cattle exported from Mexico to the United States in February 2025, through the state of Sonora. Photo Credit: Senasica

By Rubén Morales Iglesias: A delegation from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is set to travel to Mexico in the coming days to assess the country’s response to the New World screwworm outbreak, according to Mexico’s Ministry of Agriculture. The visit could result in the US lifting its suspension on Mexican cattle imports.

The US halted cattle imports earlier this month due to concerns over the screwworm, a destructive insect that burrows into livestock and can be fatal. The USDA cited the pest’s rapid spread, which had reached as far north as Oaxaca and Veracruz—nearly 700 miles from the U.S. border—prompting strict measures to prevent its further advance.

Mexico has since implemented containment efforts, including increased dispersal of sterile flies and tighter cattle inspections. Mexico’s Ministry of Agriculture said that during a video call on Tuesday, US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins expressed satisfaction with these steps in discussions with her Mexican counterpart, Dr. Jorge Berdegué Sacristán.

However, tensions remain high over the handling of the crisis. Berdegué Sacristán has publicly blamed the United States for failing to contain the screwworm before it spread into Mexico, arguing that the only facility capable of producing sterile flies for controlling the pest is run by the US in Panama.

Despite these disagreements, the U.S. has pledged $21 million to renovate a facility in southern Mexico to expand the production of sterile screwworm flies, an effort aimed at reducing the wild population and halting further outbreaks.
The USDA stressed that current import restrictions remain in place and will be reviewed every 30 days. Mexican authorities have insisted that they initially agreed to only a 15-day halt, but uncertainty lingers over how long the trade ban will continue.

Meanwhile, Mexico has maintained open cattle trade routes with Central America, preserving a crucial export market for Belize, which exported $9 million BZD worth of cattle to Mexico in 2024. Belize is also fighting its own battle against the screwworm, with 70 cases reported in recent months and heightened surveillance efforts by the Belize Agricultural Health Authority (BAHA).
Ends

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The post United States Department of Agriculture Mission to Mexico may lead to lifting of cattle import suspension amid New World Screwworm controversy appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.

Posted: Wednesday, May 28, 2025. 11:36 am CST. Cattle exported from Mexico to the United States in February 2025, through the state of Sonora. Photo Credit:
The post United States Department of Agriculture Mission to Mexico may lead to lifting of cattle import suspension amid New World Screwworm controversy appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.