In response to the resurgence of the screwworm affecting livestock in Mexico, the National Association of Federal Inspection Establishments (ANETIF) has issued an urgent call to the government and industry to work together to eradicate the pest.
Alonso Fernández , president of ANETIF , highlighted the need to resume previously successfully implemented strategies, such as the mass production of sterile flies in Chiapa de Corzo, Chiapas, which kept Mexico free of the pest until 2012, when the operation of a plant was suspended.
He also highlighted the importance of strengthening the National Service for Health, Safety and Agri-Food Quality (Senasica) , providing it with greater resources to increase its operational capacity , which will allow it to deal with the emergency.
“As representatives of the meat industry, we support and recognize the efforts and strategies that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development , through the National Service of Health, Safety, and Agrifood Quality, has developed and implemented to address the health emergency we are facing,” Fernández acknowledged.
He also emphasized that Mexico is facing a problem that represents high economic losses , so he asked to reaffirm the commitment of the meat industry to work hand in hand with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Sader) and protect the health status, to prevent the spread of the screwworm .
Finally, the executive noted that the larvae of the screwworm fly only affect live animals and pose no risk to human consumption of meat .
Last April, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brook Rollins accused the Mexican government of obstructing U.S. efforts to combat the screwworm plague and warned that this could lead to restrictions on Mexican cattle exports starting in May.
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