US to resume Mexican cattle imports after year-long ban

The US Department of Agriculture said on Friday it will begin reopening cattle ports along the Mexican border next month, more than a year after a dispute over combating a parasite.

President Donald Trump’s administration announced in May 2025 a halt on imports of live cattle, horses and bison over its southern border because of an outbreak of the screwworm fly, whose flesh-eating larvae can kill cattle.

Beginning on August 24, federal officials will open the Douglas, Arizona port of entry to cattle trade and take steps to later reopen New Mexican ports in Santa Teresa and Columbus, according to a government statement.

“Every animal entering the United States through these ports will undergo a full USDA inspection to ensure it is free of any signs of New World screwworm (NWS),” the statement said.

The parasite has been present in Mexico for years, but reappeared on US soil in early June.

According to official US data, 42 cases of NWS have been recorded since then.

The closest active case to the Arizona port is about 325 miles away, and was detected on Wednesday, the USDA said.

US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins called the closure of southern ports a “tough but necessary action” to protect American livestock.

The US successfully eradicated NWS in 1966, and managed to eliminate a resurgence in southern Florida in 2017.

AFP