Limited cattle imports from Mexico to resume, USDA says

SANTA TERESA, N.M. (KVIA) -- Friday, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said resuming some cattle imports from Mexico is the "right move" for ranchers and American consumers. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said it will open some borders in phases, including one in Santa Teresa, New Mexico.

The decision came after last week's binational New World screwworm summit that happened in Santa Teresa. There, partners from Mexico, Texas and New Mexico talked about protecting animal health while preserving agricultural trade.

According to the USDA, openings will start Aug. 24 in Douglas, Arizona, while initiating operational steps for openings in Santa Teresa and Columbus, New Mexico.

In a news release, Miller thanked Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins for responding to his call to reopen the border to import cattle. He also said he wished the decision was made sooner.

"However, USDA's current approach to the New World screwworm threat has not gone far enough," Miller said. "While there have been important steps in the right direction, the pace and scale of the screwworm response have not matched the threat. USDA has spent more than a year reacting instead of getting ahead of the problem, and our producers have paid the price. We cannot afford to rely on half-measures when billions of dollars in livestock production are on the line."

He said allowing a limited resumption of cattle importation is not the finish line, and said there needs to be a "sustained commitment to aggressive use of every proven eradication tool."

At the summit, Commissioner Miller said they want to use the Screwworm Adult Suppression System (SWASS), a USDA-developed toxic bait designed to reduce wild New World screwworm populations quickly. It works by using a synthetic attractant (Swormlure) to draw in adult flies, combined with a feeding bait and insecticide to kill them before they can lay eggs in any animal wounds.