Mexico is now reacting to Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins’ decision to suspend cattle imports due to the spread of new world screwworm.
President Claudia Sheinbaum has described the move as unfair and says the Mexican government has been working on all fronts to prevent the spread. However, USDA says an “unacceptable northward advancement” has taken place and the suspension is a result of that.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association supports the move. According to Ethan Lane:
“This really is a time for us to be looking at those controls in Mexico, looking at what we’ve got going on at our own border, and then continuing to engage with Congress and illustrating to them just how pressing it is— as part of these ongoing funding and budget discussions in DC make sure they’re thinking about the fact that this is going to be an expensive fix and even more expensive if we end up with new world screwworm here in the Untied States. So we’ve got to be serious about ramping up production of sterile flies here in the U.S. We’re going to need several hundred million more a week than we have now to even begin to mount a defense against this, nevertheless, push it back down into Central America, and that is not a cheap proposition. We’re talking about several hundred million dollars here at a minimum.”
Lane says that Secretary Sollins deserves a lot of credit for taking decisive action. The import ban will be evaluated on a monthly basis.
Texas A&M livestock economist Dr. David Anderson joins Tony St. James to discuss the geopolitical tensions and U.S.-Mexico border closure that are leading to sharp swings in the cattle market.
October 31, 2025 12:50 PM
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Expect firm calf and fed-cattle prices — pair selective heifer retention with prudent hedging and liquidity to bridge rebuilding costs.
October 17, 2025 04:54 PM
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Peel says Mexico has a much greater capability to expand its beef industry than it did 20 or 30 years ago in terms of its feeding and packing infrastructure.
October 16, 2025 03:59 PM
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“USDA can no longer keep wasting its time and personnel to deploy Commissioner Miller’s infamous traps, which USDA has deployed, tested, and has proven ineffective.”
October 14, 2025 01:19 PM
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“Good flies? Is that like a good fire ant?” Miller said. “I don’t know what a good fly is. I don’t know if they’re afraid to kill house flies or stable flies, but I’m ready to kill the screwworm fly.”
October 13, 2025 01:28 PM
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Large animal veterinarian Dr. Rosalyn Biggs with Oklahoma State University warns producers may not be prepared for the real threat of New World Screwworm.
October 09, 2025 01:10 PM
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Mexico’s tougher, two-step treatment and added checkpoints are catching cases before they can spread—good news for producers near the border.
October 07, 2025 10:55 AM
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October 01, 2025 10:02 AM
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Farmers will need to closely monitor forecasts if the regulatory changes are implemented, as temperature cutoffs will replace fixed spray dates.
September 30, 2025 04:39 PM
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