Mexican Agriculture Minister Julio Berdegué said on October 29 that no date has been set for resuming live-cattle exports to the United States, nearly six months after Washington closed the border to Mexican cattle when a flesh-eating screwworm parasite spread north from Central America. After a video conference with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, both sides agreed to deploy mobile sterilization units capable of producing 20 million sterile flies per week, with a larger $21 million U.S.-funded plant in Chiapas slated for 2026.
The continued suspension has disrupted supply chains for U.S. beef producers who rely on Mexican feeder cattle, contributing to higher input costs and tighter inventories. Cross-border trucking firms and customs brokers report a 15 % drop in livestock-related revenue since May.
For mobility professionals, the closure highlights how animal-health crises can trigger sudden border restrictions, affecting not just agricultural staff rotations but also commercial drivers who require valid visas and health certifications. Companies with agribusiness assignments in northern Mexico should expect extended duty tours as cross-border movement remains limited.
Both governments are optimistic that expanded sterile-fly releases will eradicate the parasite, mirroring a successful 20th-century campaign in the southern United States. However, scientists caution that climate change may allow the screwworm to establish a permanent range further north, implying that biosecurity at ports of entry will tighten for the foreseeable future.
The continued suspension has disrupted supply chains for U.S. beef producers who rely on Mexican feeder cattle, contributing to higher input costs and tighter inventories. Cross-border trucking firms and customs brokers report a 15 % drop in livestock-related revenue since May.
For mobility professionals, the closure highlights how animal-health crises can trigger sudden border restrictions, affecting not just agricultural staff rotations but also commercial drivers who require valid visas and health certifications. Companies with agribusiness assignments in northern Mexico should expect extended duty tours as cross-border movement remains limited.
Both governments are optimistic that expanded sterile-fly releases will eradicate the parasite, mirroring a successful 20th-century campaign in the southern United States. However, scientists caution that climate change may allow the screwworm to establish a permanent range further north, implying that biosecurity at ports of entry will tighten for the foreseeable future.
