U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins has announced a plan to strategically reopen key ports of entry along the southern border to shipments of live cattle, bison and horses from Mexico beginning as early as July 7. Following extensive collaboration between USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and its counterpart in Mexico to increase New World screwworm (NWS) surveillance, detection and eradication efforts, the phased reopening is set to begin with the port near Douglas, AZ.
Progress has been made in several critical areas since ports were closed May 11, including overcoming challenges with conducting flights in Mexico to disperse sterile NWS flies. APHIS now is able to fly daily, dispersing more than 100 million flies per week. No notable increase in reported NWS cases in Mexico, nor any northward movement of the pest, has been seen over the past eight weeks.
The Douglas, AZ, port presents the lowest risk based upon the geography of Sonora, MX, and the long history of effective collaboration between APHIS and the Mexican state on animal health issues. USDA intends to reopen additional ports in New Mexico and, if proven safe, in Texas, over the coming weeks. These openings will be based on the continuous reevaluation by APHIS of the number of cases and potential northward movement of NWS; Mexico’s sustained efforts to curb illegal animal movements; and implementation of further rigorous inspection and treatment protocols.
Currently, the timeline for reopening ports is Douglas, AZ, July 7; Columbus, NM, July 14; Santa Teresa, NM, July 21; Del Rio, TX, August 18; and Laredo, TX, September 15. USDA will closely monitor the situation following each reopening to ensure no adverse effects arise.
To ensure safe movement of animals across the border, only cattle and bison born and raised in Sonora or Chihuahua, MX, or those that have been treated according to NWS protocol when entering these states, will be eligible for import. In addition, reopening the Del Rio and Laredo ports will be contingent on Coahuila, MX, and Nuevo Leon, MX, adopting the same NWS protocols for cattle and bison as those now required of Sonora and Chihuahua for cattle or bison entering those states.