Mexico-US Cattle Trade Close to Reopening

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER) informed that Mexico has succeeded in containing screwworm cases over the past year, which will soon allow the resumption of cattle trade with the United States.

During the inauguration of the new Federal Verification and Inspection Point (PVIF) in Cosamaloapan, Veracruz, Julio Berdegué, Minister, SADER, explained that SENASICA, in collaboration with cattle producers and state governments, has managed to contain 99.9% of screwworm cases in the south–southeast of the country from November 2024 to date.  “There were scientists and others who said that by April 2024 the screwworm would already be in Texas. Well, it was not; they were wrong … That is the work we have done. These are the results,” he said.

He highlighted that in 2025 around MX$1.2 billion (US$65.7 million) were invested to fight the pest, and the results have been satisfactory, since the insect has remained confined to the south–southeast region for nearly 13 months and any incursions intercepted in central and northern areas were neutralized immediately, without secondary cases. Moreover, he emphasized that measures such as the use of canine detection teams to identify wounds and infestations, the use of monitoring traps and progress in fly sterilization plants have been key to ensuring this progress.

The modernization of the Cosamaloapan PVIF is part of the program to strengthen the second zoosanitary barrier established under the National Animal Health Emergency Framework (DINESA). This new infrastructure, which complements seven other inspection points in the south–southeast of the country, results from a cooperation agreement between SENASICA and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), with an investment of approximately MX$50 million.

The improvements to the inspection point focus on pen areas, inspection zones, maneuver yards, and operational spaces for technical personnel and specialized canine teams. The PVIF now has three lines to simultaneously serve three cattle shipments, each generally transporting between 70 and 80 animals. Therefore, operating at maximum capacity, it will be able to inspect more than 50,000 head of cattle per month.

Berdegué explained that this PVIF will help expedite the review of 1,680 head of cattle per day, and insisted that Mexican livestock is safe, since only 0.002%, two out of every 100,000 head in the Mexican herd, have been infected over more than a year. In this regard, he emphasized that Mexican livestock is already in adequate condition to resume trade with the United States.

Manuel Otero, Director General, IICA, highlighted that strengthening this inspection point in Mexico not only protects the country’s producers, but also contributes to sanitary security across Mesoamerica. “Eradicating bovine screwworm is a shared objective for the Americas. The modernization of this Point in Cosamaloapan is a decisive step toward advancing a regional sanitary belt that protects millions of producers,” he stated.

Similarly, Diego Montenegro, IICA Representative in Mexico, noted that this initiative has a regional dimension. He explained that the goal is for this infrastructure to be replicated in other Central American countries as well as in other states or regions within Mexico. He also pointed out that with support from USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), as well as from IICA itself, a series of trainings and emergency drills were conducted throughout the year in different states and in Central America.

These measures have succeeded in containing the screwworm problem. However, cattle producers warned that these actions have generated excessive regulation that critically affects the meat supply chain, impacting costs, logistics, animal welfare and consumer prices.

The Mexican Association of Beef Cattle Feeders (AMEG) acknowledged the seriousness of the pest and its commitment to animal health, but noted that the multiplication of federal and state checkpoints, along with new requirements resulting from the emergency, has caused overcontrol that is paralyzing the usual flow of livestock movement. The organization stated that transport from the south to northern feedlots has increased from 20 to 32 hours, with waits exceeding 18 hours at inspection points in order to comply with mandatory post-treatment timeframes for antiparasitic applications.

AMEG warned that these delays result in repeated loading and unloading maneuvers, which affect animal welfare and increase the risk of wounds susceptible to infestation, in addition to exposing livestock to prolonged periods without water, feed or shade. The association also affirmed that the delays have increased livestock mortality during transportation and that the measures, instead of containing the pest, could actually promote its transmission.

Given this context, AMEG proposed expanding the sterile fly program, strengthening sanitary surveillance based on uniform technical criteria, replacing excessive regulation with a traceability protocol, harmonizing regulations, and creating a permanent working group among authorities, states and producers.