The U.S. and Mexico reached an agreement on how to handle a damaging livestock pest called New World screwworm. Reuters says the agreement was reached only after Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins threatened to limit Mexican cattle imports coming through the southern U.S. border.
Screwworms can infect livestock, wildlife, and in rare cases, they can infect people. The screwworm flies leave maggots that burrow into the skin of living animals, doing significant and often fatal damage. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said earlier this week that Mexico had been working to respond to the screwworm outbreak and strengthening its prevention efforts.
The U.S. typically imports over one million Mexican cattle every year. Blocking Mexican cattle imports would only tighten U.S. supplies that have dropped to their lowest levels in decades. Washington blocked Mexican cattle from late November 2024 to February 2025 after Mexican officials discovered the screwworm, which America eradicated in 1966.
