The Agriculture Department will reopen three Southwestern ports to qualifying cattle and bison after Mexico strengthened controls against New World screwworm, a move that could ease livestock shortages and record beef prices while drawing concern from U.S. ranchers.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Mexican livestock imports will begin returning through selected border crossings in August under a phased plan announced Friday by the Department of Agriculture, which said improved safeguards against New World screwworm now allow trade to resume at several ports.
The first reopening is scheduled for Aug. 24 in Douglas, Arizona, according to the USDA’s announcement. Columbus, New Mexico, is expected to follow Sept. 14, with Santa Teresa, New Mexico, reopening Sept. 21 if animal-health conditions continue improving.
Initial eligibility will be limited to cattle and bison born and raised in the Mexican states of Sonora or Chihuahua. Animals treated under USDA screwworm protocols before entering either state may also qualify.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said federal officials concluded that enhanced surveillance, screening and parasite-control measures made it possible to restore trade without abandoning protections for American herds.
“Protecting the United States from NWS [New World screwworm] and pushing this pest out of Mexico and back to the Darien Gap is a top priority at USDA and has the full attention of the Trump administration,” Rollins said. “The closure of the Southern ports of entry for the last year has been a tough but necessary action to control the spread of NWS in Mexico and protect the American livestock industry.”
“Thanks to the work across the federal government as well as state, local, and industry partners, it is now safe to reopen the Douglas, Arizona, port in 30 days to resume the hundreds-year-old movement of cattle,” she added.
The United States normally receives about 1 million Mexican calves annually, representing approximately 5% of the cattle processed domestically, The Wall Street Journal reported. The prolonged interruption reduced an important source of livestock at a time when cattle supplies were already tight.
That shortage has placed pressure on meatpackers and contributed to historically high retail beef prices. Ground beef averaged $6.83 per pound through June, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, an increase of 11.5% from the same period a year earlier.
USDA choice sirloin steak averaged $14.45 per pound, up 11.8% year over year.
Industry executives argue that restoring Mexican cattle imports is among the quickest ways to expand supply, lower production pressure in the Southwest and help moderate consumer prices. Some ranchers, however, believe the economic benefits do not outweigh the risk of allowing the parasite to spread further into the United States.
New World screwworm larvae feed on the living tissue of warm-blooded animals and can severely injure or kill livestock if infestations are not treated. The parasitic fly had been eliminated from the United States during the 1960s, but agriculture officials detected it in a 3-week-old Texas calf in June.
Dozens of domestic cases have since been confirmed in cattle and other animals. All were reported in Texas except for one involving a dog in New Mexico.
The current restrictions trace back to November 2024, when the Biden administration halted cattle imports after a screwworm case was identified in southern Mexico. The prohibition was reversed shortly after President Donald Trump returned to office in 2025, then reinstated several months later as the parasite moved farther north through Mexico.
Rollins said the renewed closure gave federal officials time to improve border surveillance, expand screening procedures and accelerate construction of facilities used to produce sterile flies.
Female screwworm flies generally mate only once. Releasing large numbers of sterile males reduces successful reproduction and can drive down the parasite population over time.
Imported Mexican cattle will also be required to pass through disinfectant dip vats at U.S. entry points. Rollins told the Journal that the combination of improved inspections, treatment procedures and sterile-fly operations had brought the situation under control.
Texas ports will remain closed for now. USDA said those crossings will reopen only after neighboring Mexican states adopt equivalent screwworm-prevention measures.
R-Calf and other ranching advocates continue to oppose reopening any portion of the border before the parasite has been fully eradicated. The organization has developed influence among senior Trump administration officials and argues that a renewed infestation could thin domestic herds and impose substantial costs on producers.
“This is a real threat to U.S. livestock,” R-Calf Chief Executive Bill Bullard told the Journal.
The dispute places animal-health concerns against pressure to restore cattle supplies and reduce beef costs. Under the USDA plan, federal officials will attempt to balance those interests by limiting eligible animals, reopening ports gradually and conditioning each step on continued progress against the parasite.
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