Live cattle imports from Mexico to the U.S. will face delays until January 2025

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported that imports of live cattle from the south could gradually resume starting January 1, 2025, but not before the end-of-year holidays, according to a Reuters report. The measure was adopted after the detection of a case of screwworm in a bovine of non-Mexican origin in Chiapas, near the border with Guatemala. This finding activated trade restrictions by the US due to the potential risk that the pest represents for livestock, wildlife and, to a lesser extent, human health. In response, the USDA allocated an additional 165 million dollars from the Commodity Credit Corporation to support the production and dispersion of sterile screwworm flies in the region, a method that already allowed the eradication of the pest in US territory in 1966, is a key tool for its control in neighboring countries. Impact on the US livestock sector The suspension of imports has raised concerns in the US livestock sector, which faces supply chain ...