Mexico, U.S. Suspend Live Animal Trade Over Cattle Screwworm Fly Detection

Mexico and the United States have jointly announced the temporary suspension of live animal exchanges following the confirmation of cattle screwworm fly (GBG) cases in several southern U.S. counties. The Mexican Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development (Agricultura) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) made the decision to bolster sanitary protection for Mexico's livestock, especially in the northwestern regions where the pest was eradicated decades ago.

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With this action, 'the sanitary protection of the livestock herd in northwestern Mexico is strengthened, where the pest is currently not registered, specifically in the states of Baja California, Baja California Sur, Chihuahua and Sinaloa.'

The USDA confirmed three new cases of the GBG, a parasitic fly that infests warm-blooded animals. These detections bring the total reported cases to five, raising significant concern within the livestock sector about the pest's spread. The new cases include two in Texas, one on a ranch in La Salle County and another in a goat in Gillespie County, and a third case initially reported in Texas but later identified in a dog in New Mexico, marking the pest's expansion into a second U.S. state.

The Mexican Secretariat of Agriculture stated that this measure "strengthens the sanitary protection of the livestock herd in northwestern Mexico, where the pest is currently not registered, specifically in the states of Baja California, Baja California Sur, Chihuahua, and Sinaloa." The suspension prohibits the import of various animals, including cattle for breeding and slaughter, wild ruminants, equines, swine, sheep, goats, and birds for commercialization, as well as pet ferrets.

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Both health authorities maintain a permanent exchange of information, as well as working meetings.

For companion dogs, U.S. and Mexican authorities have agreed to enhance sanitary inspections at entry points into Mexico and explore additional measures to verify the health status of pets. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Leslie noted that the U.S., in collaboration with Mexico and other regional countries, is employing the sterile insect technique to contain the pest. This method involves rearing large quantities of flies in laboratories, sterilizing males with radiation, and releasing them into affected areas. These sterile males then mate with wild females, preventing the hatching of viable larvae and thus controlling the population.

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The U.S., along with Mexico and other countries in the region, has been implementing a series of measures to contain the pest, using the sterile insect technique.