Mexico city: Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced Tuesday that Mexico and the United States have agreed to gradually reopen the border for cattle trade starting July 7, following a suspension in May due to the New World screwworm (NWS) outbreak.
According to Namibia Press Agency, Sheinbaum, speaking at a morning press conference, detailed that the reopening would be phased to allow for monitoring of the pest situation. “The U.S. wants to monitor how the outbreak behaves before fully reopening. We’ve insisted the screwworm is contained, mostly in southern regions, but the key is that an agreement has been reached,” Sheinbaum stated.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) initially suspended Mexican cattle imports on May 12 for 15 days due to concerns over the screwworm, but the restriction was extended beyond that period. The USDA remains cautious about the reopening as the NWS could pose a significant threat to the country’s agricultural industry. The USDA has emphasized that the NWS is a pest whose maggots burrow into the flesh of living animals, causing severe damage. Although the pest was eradicated from the United States in 1966, there is an ongoing risk of its reintroduction.