Mexico-to-US cattle shipments to restart after tense battle with screwworm

United States Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins on Monday announced gradual, “risk-based port re-openings for cattle, bison and equines” from Mexico beginning next week.

In a press release, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said that U.S. ports will reopen in phases after a lengthy closure to Mexican livestock imports due to the damaging New World screwworm pest.

The screwworm, a species of fly eradicated in the U.S. for decades, had been moving northward in Mexico. The pest can infest livestock and wildlife and carry maggots that burrow into the skin of living animals, causing serious and often fatal damage.

The port re-openings will occur as follows:

Douglas, Arizona – July 7

Columbus, New Mexico – July 14

Santa Teresa, New Mexico – July 21

Del Rio, Texas – Aug. 18

Laredo, Texas – Sept. 15