Mexico-US Cattle Trade to Resume Soon

Cattle, Bison Trade Between US-Mexico to Resume in Next Few Days While Keeping Screwworm Out

Jennifer Carrico
By  Jennifer Carrico , Senior Livestock Editor
USDA's APHIS has worked with Mexican animal health officials to get the cross-border trade of live cattle and bison to resume after it was halted in November 2024 due to New World screwworm in southern Mexico. (DTN file photo by Jim Patrico)

REDFIELD, Iowa (DTN) -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced Feb. 1 in a news release that cattle and bison imports from Mexico are scheduled to resume in the next several days with the addition of several safeguards to keep New World screwworm (NWS) out of the country.

APHIS halted shipments of cattle and bison from Mexico in November 2024 after a positive detection of NWS in southern Mexico.

"We appreciate USDA working with their counterparts in Mexico to institute an inspection program that will protect our nation's cattle herd from the threat of New World screwworm," NCBA CEO Colin Woodall said in a statement.

"Safely reopening trade is important to the livelihood of many cattle farmers and ranchers, and we are thankful to President (Donald) Trump for making this issue a top priority of his administration. This action once again demonstrates President Trump's commitment to rural America."

SAFEGUARDS PUT IN PLACE

"After extensive discussions between representatives from the countries, APHIS and Mexico agreed to and implemented a comprehensive pre-clearance inspection and treatment protocol to ensure safe movement and mitigate the threat of NWS," the release stated.

As part of the signed protocol between the two, Mexico identified and prepared pre-export inspection pens in San Jeronimo, Chihuahua, Agua Prieta, Sonora, which have been visited, inspected and approved by APHIS. All Mexican cattle and bison will be inspected and treated for screwworm by trained and authorized veterinarians prior to entering the pre-export inspection pens, where they will undergo another inspection by Mexican officials before proceeding to final APHIS inspection. They will then cross at the Santa Teresa or Douglas Ports of Entry. These animals will also be dipped in a solution to ensure they are otherwise insect- and tick-free.

ANNOUNCMENT COULD PRESSURE PRICES

DTN's Livestock Analyst ShayLe Stewart said the announcement from APHIS could impose some technical uncertainty into the cattle complex next week. "It was assumed that Monday morning the cattle complex would trade higher as it would be the first opportunity that traders would have to react to the bullish Cattle Inventory report that came out on Friday (Jan. 31), but APHIS's announcement could overshadow that as we sit waiting to see how these developments play out," she said.

Additionally, she said from a fundamental standpoint, the cattle will be well received as buyers are aware that the available number of feeder cattle and calves is going to remain thin again in 2025. "But the big question at the back of producers' minds is: Will this influx of imports affect the market? And that's largely going to depend on timing. If the feeder cattle that were set to be imported over the last two months are trickled into the U.S. in a methodical nature, then prices won't likely see a dramatic decline. But if all the cattle that were set to be imported over the last two months show up in the marketplace all at once, then some market pressure will likely be seen," Stewart added.

She thinks if the cattle complex trades out of character next week, it's likely because traders themselves are uncertain how this announcement is going to affect the market in the short-term. From a long-term perspective, bullishness amid tightened supplies and strong demand will likely remain the market's overarching theme.

Prior to the import ban on live cattle, the U.S. had imported more than 1.2 million cattle from Mexico in 2024, according to USDA.

CONTINUAL WORK TO ERRADICATE NWS

The USDA release said APHIS will continue to work with Mexico and Central America to help keep NWS out of the U.S. and to eradicate NWS from the affected areas and reestablish the biological barrier in Panama, which had existed since 2006.

The spread of NWS into Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Belize and Mexico is thought to be due in part to new areas of farming in previous barrier regions for fly control and more cattle movement into this region. APHIS is releasing sterile flies in strategic areas in hopes of slowing or stopping the spread. NCBA also said they will continue to advocate for additional funding for the sterile flies.

Jennifer Carrico can be reached at jennifer.carrico@dtn.com

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Jennifer Carrico