US resumes Mexican cattle imports after screwworm outbreak

WASHINGTON —

The United States has resumed importing cows from Mexico after an outbreak of the flesh-eating parasite, the New World screwworm, paused shipments.

Starting Monday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture began allowing about 700 cattle per day from Mexico to enter the U.S. through a border crossing in Arizona.

Experts said the cattle will be screened with additional measures to ensure they are free of screwworm, a fly larva that burrows into living flesh and can expose cattle to deadly infections.

“[The USDA is] looking for any problem that we wouldn’t want coming in, and once the animal’s okayed by the veterinarian, it goes through what’s called a dipping vat. The animal jumps into this deep vat with an insecticide in it. They swim to the other side and walk out the other side after being fully immersed to make sure that anything that comes in doesn’t have anything on it that we don’t want coming in,” David Anderson, a professor and extension economist at Texas A&M University, said about the process. “This process adds another layer to that. They go into a separate set of holding pens, where we’re going to let some time go by with inspection to make sure that the animals don’t have screwworms.”

Our Get the Facts Data Team found that the USDA has confirmed 44 inactive screwworm cases since the outbreak began in June. Two other cases remain active in Texas.

The USDA has introduced sterile screwworm flies into the environment to combat the parasite and prevent future outbreaks.

“Within the hour of confirming a case, we move male sterile flies, and we drop them directly over where that screwworm has been confirmed, and that has worked,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a Monday news conference. “We feel and believe based on science and data that we have taken every step to protect the American herd and the American consumer.”

Experts emphasized that screwworm does not pose a food safety risk, as it spreads through living tissue and not processed meat. And, while the influx of cattle imports may eventually help increase U.S. beef supply, it will take time before consumers see an impact on prices, according to experts.

Historically, the U.S. imports about 1.2 million cattle annually from Mexico, with much of the supply consisting of younger calves that require months to grow before contributing to beef production.

“By midway through 2027, this will start to increase beef production in the U.S. So we’ll start to see more beef, and I think that means some lower prices for consumers,” Anderson said.

The USDA is monitoring the situation closely, as active screwworm cases are still being reported in Mexico.

But if Monday’s initial round of imports continues without issue, the USDA said the U.S. could expand cattle imports through additional border crossings in New Mexico.

In a related effort to address rising beef prices, President Donald Trump recently announced a 90-day plan to import 300,000 metric tons, or roughly 660 million pounds, of ground beef at 25% below market prices.

The plan aims to ramp up supply and provide U.S. producers time to rebuild their herds. However, some agriculture economists and ranchers have criticized the move, arguing it could undermine financial incentives for U.S. producers to expand their herds.

Separately, on Monday, Sec. Rollins and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. proposed increased funding for farm-to-school grants to provide more locally sourced whole foods, including fruits, vegetables, and proteins like beef, in school cafeterias.

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