USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and Mexico are working to resume live cattle imports from the country following the detection of New World screwworm in Mexico.
The agency originally said it planned to allow imports back in ahead of the holidays, but reversed course and said it was unlikely to occur. APHIS suspended live cattle imports from Mexico on Nov. 22 following detection of the screwworm on the country’s southern border.
The agency announced $165 million in emergency funding to protect U.S. livestock from the screwworm and boost efforts to curb its spread. The funding will increase surveillance and animal health checkpoints, establish a barrier on the isthmus between the Gulf of Mexico and Pacific Ocean, eradicate the screwworm from affected areas and reestablish the biological barrier in Panama.
