Mexico Tightens Cattle Movement as Screwworm Threat Delays U.S. Border Reopening
Internal restrictions grow, but USDA says conditions still not met to resume live-cattle trade
Mexico is tightening controls on cattle movement inside the country as both U.S. and Mexican authorities race to contain the New World screwworm outbreak that has shut down cross-border cattle shipments for months. While Mexico has not announced a full formal freeze on all south-to-north cattle movement, officials have imposed new restrictions, intensified inspections, and limited import routes from Central America — steps seen as essential prerequisites for eventually reopening the U.S./Mexico cattle corridor.
Mexican ag-health authority SENASICA has restricted imports of Central American cattle to a single port of entry, Puerto Chiapas, where more rigorous inspection and biosecurity protocols can be applied. The move followed concerns that cattle shipments entering through multiple southern gateways could accelerate the northward spread of the parasite.
Those import limitations are paired with strengthened surveillance inside Mexico, including new checkpoints, sterile-insect releases, and movement-control measures intended to prevent infected livestock from traveling toward northern states. The urgency increased after Mexican officials confirmed a screwworm case in Nuevo León — just 70 miles from the U.S. border.
Despite progress on the Mexican side, USDA officials say the United States is not yet ready to reopen the border to live cattle. The agency continues to cite unresolved concerns about containment, inspections, and the risk that the parasite could enter the U.S. herd if restrictions are lifted prematurely. Mexico’s agriculture minister acknowledged there remains no official date for restarting exports northward.
The continued halt has sharply disrupted trade flows. U.S. imports of Mexican feeder cattle have plunged, while Mexican ranchers are struggling under the weight of stalled sales and lower domestic prices. Feedlot operators in the U.S. Southwest report shortages from the normally steady cross-border supply.
For now, movement controls inside Mexico — including the new south-entry bottleneck — appear to be one of the requirements Washington expects before considering any partial reopening. But with the screwworm still active in parts of Mexico and containment still underway, the path to resuming cattle exports remains unclear and politically sensitive on both sides of the border.
As for any potential timeline, most sources continue to signal January for the beginning of a phased-in reopening of the border. Some reports continue to signal this month.
