Mexico Urges Southern Border Cattle Ban to Stop Screwworm

Saltillo, Coahuila — During a session of the state Congress, lawmakers approved a resolution urging federal authorities to implement measures blocking the entry of cattle through Mexico’s southern border until the screwworm infestation is resolved. The motion, introduced by Deputy Claudia Elizabeth Aldrete García, calls on the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the National Service for Agrifood Health, Safety, and Quality (SENASICA) to enforce stricter sanitary controls.

Persistent Concerns Over Illegal Cattle Imports

Aldrete García noted that a similar resolution was passed in December 2024, requesting reports on actions to contain the screwworm outbreak, which has been linked to cattle illegally entering Mexico through the southern border without proper health inspections. She emphasized that experts are alarmed by the potential facilitation of illegal livestock smuggling, which poses significant health risks due to the use of falsified identification and certification documents.

Five months after the initial resolution, on May 13, 2025, the Regional Livestock Union of Coahuila (UGRC), alongside associations from Sonora, Chihuahua, Durango, and Tamaulipas, proposed an eight-point plan to the federal government. The measures include:

• Regionalizing cattle exports
• Strengthening border controls in the south
• Constructing a new sterile fly production facility
• Allocating additional resources to SENASICA
• Expanding state governments’ authority
• Enhancing sanitary oversight at feedlots and collection centers

Call for Federal Action

“We trust the federal government will take all necessary actions and spare no human, financial, or technological resources to stop this plague, which threatens one of our key industries,” Aldrete García stated. “Prolonged effects could have devastating economic consequences for Mexico’s livestock sector.”

The screwworm, a parasitic larvae that infests livestock and occasionally humans, has already been reported in four cases in Chiapas, raising further concerns about its spread.