Animal health concerns impacting US cattle trade with Mexico

The US Animal and Plant Health Inspection service (APHIS) announced in late November 2024 that New World screwworm (NWS) was detected in Mexico. The infestation was found in a cow in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas. The finding probably was not a surprise to US authorities. Before the elections, a story by the Wildlife Conservation Society noted how cattle trafficking in Central America opened the door for the parasite to spread in Mexico. Now the fear is that the infestation may have taken hold in southern Mexico, threatening a significant supply source for US cattle producers. This pest can have a significant negative impact on the health of cattle. US and Mexican authorities have spent considerable resources in the past to push it away from US and Mexican borders. For now, US authorities have suspended the cattle trade with Mexico while they develop protocols to screen animals coming into the US. The goal is now to resume trade in early January 2025, but there is still ...