Mexico resumes live cattle exports to U.S. after yearlong halt

Aug. 24 (UPI) — Mexico resumed live cattle exports to the United States on Monday after a suspension of more than a year because of the New World screwworm outbreak.

President Claudia Sheinbaum said during her morning news conference that exports have resumed gradually through the Agua Prieta border crossing in the northern state of Sonora.

The border reopening will proceed under controlled conditions, with 700 cattle crossing daily from Agua Prieta to Douglas, Ariz.

The plan calls for export volumes to increase gradually as sanitary inspections stabilize. Operations will later expand to other authorized crossings in the state of Chihuahua and to the Santa Teresa and Columbus ports of entry in New Mexico.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture established strict safety protocols for the reopening, including requiring cattle to carry radio-frequency identification tags in their ears for full traceability. All cattle will undergo extensive inspections at the border using specialized detection equipment and trained dogs under the direct supervision of U.S. officials.

Sonora Gov. Alfonso Durazo said at the Agua Prieta quarantine station that the facilities and sanitary protocols required by the United States were fully operational.

He said authorities would strengthen sanitary controls and traceability measures and continue releasing sterile flies to prevent new outbreaks.

The border had been closed to cattle shipments since mid-2025 because of the spread of New World screwworm, sharply reducing income for ranchers in northern Mexico and putting upward pressure on U.S. beef prices.

The U.S. cattle herd stands at about 86 million head, its lowest level in 75 years, and faces a shortage of about 1.2 million head, according to USDA statistics.

Durazo also announced progress on construction of the Comprehensive Livestock Center in Hermosillo, a project that will double export and inspection capacity at Agua Prieta, Mexican newspaper La Jornada reported.

The expansion is expected to increase capacity to as many as 3,000 cattle per day, strengthening a key livestock trade route for Sonora and providing greater capacity for producers in the state.

The reopening does not mean the New World screwworm crisis has ended. Authorities have contained its spread in northern Mexico through strict sanitary controls, while the pest remains active and under emergency measures in southern and central Mexico as well as Central America.

Mexico has 1,969 active cases, fewer than half the number reported a year ago, indicating that the outbreak is gradually being contained, although eradication is expected to take considerably longer, Mexican news outlet Proceso reported.

The United States is also dealing with an active New World screwworm case, ending a period of more than six decades since the pest was eradicated from the country.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the USDA say the current risk to people and the food supply remains very low, although the livestock sector remains under heightened surveillance.