The Trump administration has halted the import of live cattle, horses, and bison due to the emergence of dangerous pests that may cross the southern border.
On Sunday, Brooke Rollins, Director General of the USDA, announced that the New World Screwworm (NWS) has led to these restrictions at the southern ports as the pest makes its way north through Mexico.
The USDA indicated that this decision came after pests were found approximately 700 miles from the U.S. border.
The agency noted that U.S. and Mexican officials are collaborating to tackle the pest issue, but they emphasized the need for urgent measures, stating that the NWS’s advancements are concerning and that further actions are necessary to curb its spread.
As a result, the USDA’s Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have imposed restrictions on these imports, which will continue monthly “until a significant window of containment is achieved.”
“The protection of our livestock and the safety of our food supply are critical national security concerns. We’re committed to resuming livestock trade once we observe enhanced surveillance and control efforts yielding positive results,” declared Rollins.
According to USDA, the NWS was eradicated in the U.S. with the help of sterile insect technology back in 1966, but there’s always the potential for reintroduction.
The term “screw” in its name reflects its aggressive feeding behavior, where the maggots inflict severe damage by burrowing into wounds, leading to potentially fatal harm to animals.
Collin Woodall, CEO of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, mentioned that while the import suspension could impact the cattle industry, protecting against the NWS takes precedence. Reports indicated that the Mexican government has not acted sufficiently to eliminate the pests.
Woodall pointed out that Mexico had recently promised to lift restrictions that obstructed USDA’s pest control efforts, but he called this a delayed response. “There’s a thin zone in Mexico that they aimed to control, but the NWS has broken through that,” he noted.
He remarked that Mexico effectively opened up a “superhighway” for the pests, particularly towards Texas.
In a message shared on their website, the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) expressed support for the border closure as a protective measure against the NWS.
President Carl Ray Polk Jr. said the association takes the threat seriously and acknowledged Rollins for her decision, even with the short-term difficulties it may cause for ranchers.
He added that cooperation from the Mexican government is vital, and that this action sends a strong message about the seriousness of the situation. The association plans to focus more on ground-based containment strategies while working on domestic fly production facilities.
In a social media update, Rollins mentioned, “Our cattle industry took 30 years to recover after this pest invaded America. We cannot let that happen again.”
Leslie Robinson, President of the Montana Stock Growers Association, remarked on Monday that “food safety and food security are national security” issues. She voiced her appreciation for the decision to suspend imports due to the risk posed by the NWS.
“We’ve faced it before, and we never want to see it again. We are grateful they’re taking this seriously,” she added.
A USDA press release earlier this month indicated that the border was closed to live animal trades.
The USDA stated that in February 2025, imports would resume after establishing comprehensive testing and treatment procedures to ensure safe movements and to mitigate the NWS threat.
At present, authorities are releasing sterile flies as part of efforts focused on southern Mexico and parts of Central America.
