Jennifer Moffett, Undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs, is quoted by Reuters as saying that to resume shipments, Mexico must set up USDA-approved holding pens where inspectors will check and treat Mexican cattle for screwworm before they cross the border. USDA will start inspecting Mexico’s pens soon, she added. “We could have some (imports) certainly before the holidays,” Moffitt said, and more in January.
But cattle industry sources say there is a specific procedure Mexico must follow.
The news has impacted feeder cattle markets today.
Update: An industry source told us, “There is a lot of work to be done yet by APHIS and Senasica (Mexico’s ag ministry). The best guess from our team in Mexico is that it will be early to mid-January before cattle trade across the border resumes.”
Meanwhile, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced $165 million in emergency funding to prevent the spread of New World screwworm (NWS), a parasitic fly larvae that infests warm-blooded animals. The funding aims to protect U.S. livestock and enhance eradication efforts in Mexico and Central America. Recent outbreaks have seen NWS spread through Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, and southern Mexico. APHIS, in collaboration with regional partners, will establish a barrier on Mexico’s Isthmus of Tehuantepec, eradicate affected populations, and restore biological controls in Panama using sterile insect techniques. Surveillance and preparedness measures are also being strengthened along the U.S.-Mexico border. Jenny Lester Moffitt, USDA Undersecretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, highlighted the economic and animal welfare risks posed by NWS to the U.S. Producers are urged to monitor their livestock and pets for signs of infestation and report suspected cases to local or state veterinary authorities.