(WASHINGTON D.C.) — Over the weekend, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins sent a letter to her counterpart in Mexico demanding Mexico eliminate restrictions on USDA aircraft and waive customs duties on eradication equipment that are critically impairing the U.S. response to spread of the New World Screwworm.
“Every delay in granting full operational authority and eliminating customs barriers undermines our collective ability to carry out this emergency response,” said Secretary Rollins in her letter.
Additionally, Secretary Rollins informed the government of Mexico, “…that if these issues are not resolved by Wednesday, April 30, USDA will restrict the importation of animal commodities, which consist of live cattle, bison, and equine originating from or transiting Mexico to protect the interest of the agriculture industry in the United States.”
Back in November 2024, USDA restricted cattle imports from Mexico as the once eradicated pest was detected again in Southern Mexico. Those imports resumed in February after new protocols were put in place to stop the spread of the screwworm pest. New World Screwworm (NWS) is a deadly parasitic fly that infests warm-blooded animals, causing severe wounds and complications that can lead to death. A NWS infestation in the U.S. will result in significant losses to livestock industries. The U.S. successfully led the eradication of NWS in the U.S. and Mexico, but the recent detections in Mexico show that this dangerous pest is back and remains a serious threat. Ongoing vigilance and control efforts are critical to prevent its spread northward and protect animal health and agriculture.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) announced support for U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins’ actions to protect the American cattle industry from the rising threat of New World screwworm.
“The U.S. spent millions of dollars to eradicate New World screwworm from our borders in the 1960s but unfortunately, we are now facing this dangerous threat again,” said NCBA President and Nebraska cattleman Buck Wehrbein. “Screwworm is very destructive and could cost American producers millions of dollars a year if it reaches us. Americans have been investing in prevention efforts in Central America for decades, but we can’t stop this without Mexico’s participation. NCBA strongly supports Secretary Rollins holding Mexico to their commitments regarding screwworm eradication.”
In November 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) was notified that New World screwworm was detected in Mexico. NCBA has been working closely with USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to increase surveillance, inspection, and other measures to counter this pest. At the same time, NCBA has also been working with USDA to expand the use of the sterile insect technique, which requires the continuous release of sterile male screwworm files that breed with wild screwworms and result in no offspring, eradicating the species.
Unfortunately, Mexican authorities have failed to uphold their end of the agreement by disrupting planes carrying these sterile male files, refusing pilots permission to land, and instituting customs duties on flight components, sterile flies, and sterile insect technique equipment.
“We have received multiple reports that critical flights carrying these sterile flies have been denied permission to land, faced bogus paperwork issues, and been charged high customs fees. As a result, we have lost significant time and investment that has allowed these dangerous pests to spread unchecked into southern Mexico,” said NCBA Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane. “In light of those reports, NCBA met with the Mexican Embassy earlier this week to deliver the message that the Mexican government needs to be a partner on eradicating screwworms to protect both animal and human health. It’s time for Mexican authorities to act and we appreciate Secretary Rollins standing with American and Mexican cattle producers who want to see this pest stopped dead in its tracks.”
Last week, NCBA President Wehrbein also met with senior officials at the Embassy of Mexico in Washington, D.C. to press for further action on screwworm eradication. NCBA will continue this critical work to ensure we are protecting U.S. consumers and the health of the American cattle herd.
Read the Letter (PDF, 1.3 MB)
SOURCE: USDA News Release and NCBA News Release
