Mexico
Kansas State Veterinarian Dr. Justin Smith outlines a coordinated plan built on surveillance, targeted treatment and movement controls to protect cattle operations while preserving business stability.
Texas producers need to remain on alert as NWS continues to move north. The newest detection is in the state of Tamaulipas.
APHIS confirms a New World screwworm case in a 22-month-old bovine transported from Veracruz to a feedlot in Nuevo León.
This facility will increase the range of sterile fly release and bolster preparedness for New World screwworm.
With New World screwworm within 70 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border, the livestock industry is on high alert. USDA continues to fight the northward spread of the parasite while debate continues on the border closure.
The next step to battling NWS is using swormlure, a synthetic bait designed to attract adult screwworm flies, combined with an insecticide to combat the pest.
Secretary Rollins takes decisive action and shuts down cattle, bison and equine trade due to further northward spread of the devastating pest in Mexico.
Following a New World screwworm assessment by USDA staff in Mexico and ongoing conversations between Secretary Rollins and the Mexican Secretary of Agriculture, USDA will start reopening the ports for cattle, bison and equine.
Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announces plans to reopen Moore Air Base in Texas as a New World screwworm sterile fly distribution facility. Long-term production is anticipated to be 300 million sterile flies per week.
NCBA’s Woodall says the goal is complete eradication — not just from the U.S., but from Mexico and Central America, ultimately pushing the fly back to its original range in South America.
NCBA applauds Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins’ aggressive efforts to suspend Mexican cattle, horse and bison imports, saying Mexico’s corruption and mismanagement has caused the pest to spread closer to the U.S.
Mexico has committed to eliminate restrictions on USDA aircraft and waive customs duties on eradication equipment aiding in the response to the spread of New World Screwworm (NWS).
Mexico has until April 30 to follow protocol to stop the spread of the pest and eliminate current restrictions slowing eradication.
APHIS emphasizes new protocols in place to monitor for the pest before cattle enter the U.S.
Following President Trump’s decision to impose 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, Canada announced its own 25% tariffs on $155 billion worth of U.S. imports. Mexico also announced its own retaliatory measures, but no specifics were unveiled as of Sunday morning.
U.S. farmers and various trade groups are very apprehensive about not only the potential negative impacts of tariffs on the U.S. ag sector, but what they do to garner new trade agreements.
Outgoing USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack sent a letter to Mexico’s Secretary of Agriculture acknowledging the progress made in reopening cattle trade between the two countries following the detection of New World Screwworm, but says more action is needed to resume trade.
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USDA approves funding to bolster efforts to prevent further spread through surveillance, animal health checkpoints and domestic preparedness.
Two weeks after the pest was detected in a Mexican cow, U.S. officials remain focused on the health and wellness of U.S. livestock.
U.S. and Mexican officials are working together on pre-export inspection protocols before resuming live cattle imports into the U.S. The use of sterile flies is also a priority to help control the spread of NWS in Mexico.
New World Screwworm is a serious veterinary pest that can cause severe damage to livestock and wildlife populations. The detection of New World Screwworm in Mexico and the subsequent USDA actions may have significant implications on trade and travel.