Following a new case of screwworm detected in Ixhuatlán de Madero, Veracruz, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has again halted imports of Mexican cattle , following a previous announcement authorizing a gradual reopening starting July 7.

The USDA stated in its statement that the closure is “effective immediately.” The measure also cited Mexican authorities’ failure to provide accurate and timely information about the spread of the pest.

He argued that the goal is to protect American cattle herds and the national food supply.

“The U.S. Department of Agriculture had announced a phased, risk-based reopening strategy for the importation of Mexican cattle, bison, and equines,” recalled USDA head Brooke Rollins, quoted in the statement.

According to the planned schedule, the reopening of Mexican cattle crossings to the United States would begin on July 7 at the port of Douglas, Arizona. Meanwhile, crossings would open on July 14 in Columbus, New Mexico; on July 21 in Santa Teresa, New Mexico; on August 18 in Del Rio, Texas; and on September 15 in Laredo, Texas.

“To reactivate the livestock trade, significant progress will need to be made in combating the worm in Veracruz and other nearby Mexican states before reopening livestock ports along the southern border,” Rollins emphasized.

Following the discovery, the federal office called on Mexican authorities to implement stricter controls on animal movement, as well as ongoing surveillance , trapping, and the use of proven scientific methods to stem the screwworm infestation.

Reactions to the suspension of reopening

The measure has come as a shock to companies in the sector, which have already reacted. In a statement, the Mexican Meat Producers Association (AMEG) reaffirmed its collaboration to ensure the traceability, safety, and health of cattle destined for export.

Separately, the National Association of Federal Inspection Establishments (ANETIF) reiterated that “the TIF system guarantees meat safety, even in health emergency situations, and that these decisions affect the operation, exports, and logistics of certified plants, in addition to causing millions in losses for both countries.”

He added that this new case, reported by the National Service of Health, Safety and Food Quality (Senasica) and confirmed by U.S. authorities, is located outside the current dispersal zone of sterile flies, which raises concerns about a possible expansion to the north of the country .

Meanwhile, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum reported this morning that technical teams are already working to control the screwworm infestation detected in Veracruz, and she hopes that cattle exports to the United States will resume “very soon.”

In his morning press conference, he called the closure of the U.S. southern border “totally exaggerated” and said that “everything that scientifically and practically should be done is being done.”

On May 11, the United States suspended the import of Mexican cattle due to a screwworm infestation detected in Oaxaca and Veracruz.

The screwworm plague has deeply affected the Mexican livestock sector, which suffered a 64% drop in exports between January and May 2025, according to the  Agricultural Markets Consulting Group (GCMA) .

This figure meant a decrease in the volume of shipments abroad, falling from 640,000 head in 2024 to only 233,000 head in 2025 during the reference period.

This represented an economic loss of 53% , as exports went from $605 million in the first five months of 2024 to $287 million in the same period of 2025.

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“We will begin in November 2024 with the aerial dispersal of sterile flies, which are a kind of extinguisher because they interrupt the fly’s reproductive cycle. Since November, we have been using only a few flies because the United States is the only country with a sterile fly production plant,” he emphasized.

The plague Mexico is facing today is a consequence of decisions made by the United States, the federal official indicated, adding that “the screwworm had ceased to be a problem for several years because it was an eradicated pest , and Mexico had no responsibility for its control.”

“Mexico had no responsibility to control this pest when it was south of Panama. Our North American partners did have a responsibility; the problem is that it got out of control; it traveled more than 3,700 kilometers until it reached Mexico,” he explained.

At Tuesday’s morning press conference, he recalled that when the United States announced the closure of its border to Mexican cattle, the country had taken the bilaterally agreed-upon actions to combat the pest.

The head of Sader pointed out that the first case in Mexico was reported on November 24, 2024, at checkpoints that had been established in advance, and indicated that “in June 2023, the screwworm plague reappeared in Panama; it is endemic to South America.”

A veterinary training campaign was launched in May 2024 , and in July of that year, the national emergency response was activated to carry out a series of checks, Berdegué emphasized.

Mexico has requested technical assistance from its northern neighbor to build a sterile fly plant in Chiapas, and for now, the United States is supplying the country with these flies, said Berdegué, who noted that further control measures will be implemented .

“Control of livestock movements will be strengthened. This sweep will be carried out from the Gulf of Mexico in Veracruz to the Pacific Ocean in Oaxaca and Guerrero. We are visiting all the ranches. We are doing everything materially possible,” he emphasized.

On May 11, Berdegué announced the U.S. government’s decision to close the border to Mexican livestock due to the screwworm infestation, which Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum described as an unfair decision.

“Mexico isn’t anyone’s piñata. What we have is collaboration and coordination, but there’s no subordination, nor can we just follow what’s said every day,” Sheinbaum clarified during the morning press conference on May 12.

This would have serious economic consequences for Mexican cattle ranchers since, according to Sader, in 2024 Mexico exported more than 1.2 million head of cattle to the United States .

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