U.S. suspended again cattle imports from Mexico

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced Monday the suspension of live cattle, horse, and bison imports through U.S. ports of entry along the southern border due to the continued and rapid northward spread of New World Screwworm (NWS) in Mexico, effective immediately. NWS has been recently detected in remote farms with minimal cattle movement as far north as Oaxaca and Veracruz, about 700 miles away from the U.S. border.

The United States and Mexico continue efforts to interdict and eradicate NWS in Mexico and work in good faith, said the USA in a communication. However, despite these efforts and the economic impact on both countries due to this action, there has been unacceptable northward advancement of NWS and additional action must be taken to slow the northern progression of this deadly parasitic fly. As such, effective immediately, the USDA Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in conjunction with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will restrict the importation of live animal commodities originating from, or transiting Mexico. This import suspension will persist on a month-by-month basis, until a significant window of containment is achieved.

U.S. cattle futures soared to record highs after the suspension, which Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum denounced as “unfair”, said Reuters.

The import suspension threatens to increase U.S. beef prices by further tightening the supply of cattle, already at its lowest in decades.

All cattle futures contracts, traded in Chicago, hit lifetime highs following the halt. "Cattle are on fire," said Dan Norcini, independent livestock analyst.