US says it will lift ban on imports of Mexican cattle
The import halt has caused U.S. beef prices to soar to record levels, hurting consumers and putting pressure on President Donald Trump’s administration to cut costs. The ban also failed to keep out the screwworm, which is moving north through Central America and was detected on farms in Texas and New Mexico in June.
The United States plans to resume imports of Mexican cattle through a port of entry in Douglas, Arizona, within 30 days and then eventually open two additional ports of entry in New Mexico, the USDA said in a statement, adding that it is now safe to begin reopening.
The USDA said it would open southern cattle ports in phases, adding that the phased reopening depends on Mexico sticking to its plan to control screwworm.
Screwworms are parasitic flies whose females lay eggs in open wounds and mucous membranes of any warm-blooded animal. Once the eggs hatch, hundreds of screwworm larvae use their sharp mouthparts to burrow into living flesh and, if left untreated, eventually kill their host.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she has instructed local officials to speed up preparations for the resumption of live animal exports to the United States. In his statement on social media, he said that exports will restart in the last weeks of August.
The border closure in Texas, the United States’ largest cattle-producing state, has caused a contraction of the $100 billion U.S. beef industry. Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller praised the Trump administration’s decision to allow limited resumption of cattle imports from Mexico, but expressed concern about continued disruption to the U.S. cattle industry due to screwworm.
“Continuing to import cattle from Mexico is the right move for farmers and American consumers, but it’s a decision that should have been made sooner. While I’m pleased to see this important trade relationship restored, the prolonged shutdown has already harmed producers, disrupted supply chains, and created uncertainty that could have lasting consequences for the cattle industry,” Miller said in a statement. he said.
But Miller said the USDA’s current approach to addressing the screwworm threat doesn’t go far enough.
“While significant steps have been taken in the right direction, the speed and scale of the response to the screwworm has not matched the threat,” Miller said.
Meat Institute President and CEO Julie Anna Potts said the industry group supports “a careful, phased reopening of the border;” This reflects both caution and confidence in our response plans.
“Importing cattle from Mexico allows cattle packers to better meet consumer demand given the limited supply of U.S. cattle,” Potts said.
Bill Bullard, CEO of US cattle producers group R-CALF USA, added that continuing imports would increase the risk of further infestations in the US.
“As long as the border is open, it will encourage the northward movement of cattle from southern Mexico, where the pest is endemic, into the United States,” Bullard said.
U.S. beef prices have reached record levels this year, while domestic cattle supply has fallen to a 75-year low due to import bans and drought conditions that have forced American producers to slaughter their herds.
Supply shortages have increased cattle costs for meatpackers, including Tyson Foods, which closed a major processing plant in Nebraska this year. Rival JBS also said it would close a beef plant in Pennsylvania.
The Texas Cattle Feeders Association, which represents the cattle feeding industry in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico, said the U.S. can safely resume imports with the right protocols in place.
“We think the science supports this,” said Josh Winegarner, the association’s director of government relations. He added that the halt gave the USDA time to work on its protocols and response to the screwworm.
Ports of entry in Arizona and New Mexico are further away from the screwworm infestation in Mexico, and restarting imports to those places is considered less risky than restarting imports to Texas, according to livestock traders.
