USDA weighs reopening southern border to livestock
Nearly one year since the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) first suspended live animal imports from Mexico through southern border ports of entry, the fight to keep New World screwworm (NWS) out of the U.S. continues.
On April 17, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins led the groundbreaking for the new sterile fly production facility at Moore Air Base in Edinburg, Texas.
In late March, Rollins also said conversations about a potential phased reopening of the border have been gaining traction as mitigation efforts continue.
While any official plans for a phased reopening have not yet been announced, cattle producers are keeping tabs on the developing situation and officials continue to monitor the spread of NWS.
Sterile fly facility
The Moore Air Base sterile fly production facility serves as a cornerstone of Rollins’ five-pronged strategy to combat NWS, which was first unveiled last August.
Constructed in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the facility is being built with an aggressive timeline designed to quickly expand the nation’s sterile fly production capacity, according to an April 17 press release issued by USDA.
USACE is providing engineering, design, construction management and contract oversight for the project to ensure the facility meets the highest standards for biosecurity, reliability and long‑term operational readiness, according to USDA.
“Breaking ground on this facility marks a major investment in safeguarding America’s livestock and the producers who feed this nation,” Rollins says. “This puts NWS sterile fly production in American hands, so we do not have to rely on other countries for the best offensive measure to push screwworm away from our borders.”
“NWS threatens the health of our herds, the stability of rural economies and the resilience of our supply chain,” she adds. “President Donald Trump and his entire cabinet is committed to leveraging every resource necessary to contain this pest, protect American agriculture and ensure the long-term security of our food supply chain.”
USDA is aiming for production at the facility to reach 100 million sterile flies per week by November, with a goal of producing 300 million flies per week by the time construction is fully completed in 2027.
Once fully operational, USDA says this expanded production network will provide the speed, scale and domestic capability needed to rapidly counter threats from NWS, reducing risks to producers, protecting animal health and strengthening the resilience of America’s livestock industry as a result.
Potential phased reopening
Recently, Rollins has hinted a phased reopening of the border to livestock imports could be on the horizon as officials continue to bolster mitigation efforts and monitor the spread of the pest.
She first commented on the potential for a phased reopening of the U.S.-Mexico Border, beginning with the Douglas, Ariz. port, while speaking at the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Convention on March 28.
“We are currently evaluating a potential phased-in strategy,” Rollins says. “We obviously will not be opening all four ports anytime soon, but there is a realistic conversation currently happening looking at that port which is 800 miles from the closest case.”
As of April 16, there were 1,300 active cases of NWS in animals, with 746 cases in bovine, according to data from the Mexican Department of Agriculture.
These included two active cases in the Nuevo León, Mexico area approximately 90 miles from the Texas border and multiple cases in Tamaulipas, Mexico roughly 800 miles from the Arizona port of entry.
Although an official statement regarding the potential phased reopening has not been made, Rollins emphasizes USDA is continuing to assess the situation during the Moore Air Base sterile fly facility groundbreaking ceremony on April 17.
“I want to be very clear – NWS is only about 200 miles from this border, so there will not be a port opening in Texas until it is significantly pushed back,” she says. “But, NWS is roughly around 800 miles from the Douglas, Ariz. port and the two ports in New Mexico.”
“Every day we are analyzing to make sure we are protecting our livestock and national security,” she adds.
In an April 3 article, an unnamed USDA spokesperson tells Drovers Editorial Leader Angie Stump Denton livestock imports will resume once the risk of NWS introduction into the U.S. can be adequately mitigated.
This determination will hinge on a combination of factors including “science-based import protocols, animal health status of individual Mexican states and the degree to which Mexico’s national agriculture authority has made progress in implementing USDA recommendations.”
Market impact
As cattle producers await further updates, industry experts are monitoring what a phased reopening of the border could mean for U.S. markets.
In the April 3 Drovers article, Texas A&M University Extension Specialist Dr. David Anderson says a phased reopening should not significantly impact U.S. producers or markets in the immediate scope of things.
“Phased means a slow reopening, so this implies a slow or small effect on numbers and prices,” Anderson says. “While cattle would be imported, it should not have a huge effect on the market.”
“It should take a while for imports to ramp up,” he adds. “There is not really a flood of animals waiting to come this way.”
Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist Dr. Derrell Peel has a similar outlook, noting futures markets could react but an immediate impact is not of particular concern.
“I suspect the futures market will react pretty significantly, but the fact of the matter is this is not that big a deal,” Peel says. “It’s not going to cause an immediate impact of any kind at this point in time.”
Grace Skavdahl is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
