Mexico cattle exports to US resume under strict screwworm protocols

Ranchers in northern Mexico are preparing to resume live cattle exports to the United States after a yearlong ban, though new safety protocols will keep the flow of livestock tightly controlled.

The ban was imposed in May 2025 over concerns about the New World screwworm, a parasite whose maggots burrow into the wounds of warm-blooded animals. The outbreak, first detected in Mexico in November 2024, has since spread to 30 of the country's 32 states. Authorities report 1,969 active cases, less than half the number recorded a year ago, but they caution that full eradication will take time.

Starting August 24, the Douglas, Arizona border crossing will reopen to Mexican cattle. In the first week, only 700 animals per day will be allowed through, rising to 900 in the second week and eventually reaching 1,300 daily, according to Arturo Ruiz, Sonora's state animal health veterinarian. Each animal must be fitted with an electronic ear tag and screened by readers and trained dogs, with USDA officials conducting inspections before cattle can cross.

The closure hit both countries hard. Mexico's cattle export business generated $1.2 billion last year, and the halt cut rancher Martín Alfonso Ibarra's income by 40 percent. He hopes to send 16 calves north once they gain enough weight by October. "There's no need to get too excited," he said.

In the US, the supply shortfall contributed to record-high beef prices and closures at some meat-processing plants. Mexican ranchers who sold domestically received nearly 40 percent less than they would have in the US market.

Some ranchers in Sonora remain frustrated with the pace of reopening. Juan Carlos Ochoa, president of the Regional Livestock Union of Sonora, said authorities should "think less politically and more technically and reasonably," arguing that a greater flow of cattle is needed to address shortages on both sides of the border.