USDA has announced that Mexico agreed to additional measures to help fight New World Screwworm (NWS). The U.S. had given Mexico a deadline of April 30 to follow protocols in place or the U.S. would put restrictions on cattle imports.
USDA Secretary Rollins posted on X.com that Mexico has resumed efforts to help fight NWS with the following:
- Eliminate restrictions on USDA aircraft
- Waive customs duties on eradication equipment
- Increase surveillance
Rollins says ports will remain open to livestock imports at this time, however if at any time these terms are not upheld, port closure will be revisited. The secretary had sent a letter to Mexico outlining the expectations for cooperation on the issue.
Protocols had been established in February after the pest was discovered in southern Mexico in November 2024.
“I am happy to share Mexico has continued to partner in emergency efforts to eradicate the New World Screwworm,” Rollins says. “This pest is a devastating threat to both of our economies, and I am pleased to work together with Mexico in good faith to protect the livelihoods of our ranchers and producers who would have been hurt by this pest.”
Rollins reiterated that USDA is working every day to keep pests and disease from harming the agricultural industry.
“I thank our frontline USDA staff and their counterparts in Mexico for their work to ensure the screwworm does not harm our livestock industry,” she adds.
NWS is a deadly parasitic fly that infests warm-blooded animals, causing severe wounds and complications that can lead to death.
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