U.S. to lift screwworm ban on Mexican cattle

(Brandon Bell/Getty Images North America/Bloomberg)

The U.S. will allow Mexican cattle imports to resume after a more than yearlong ban to prevent the spread of a deadly parasite, as the Trump administration seeks to tamp down record beef prices.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will start a phased reopening starting with imports at the Douglas, Ariz., port of entry beginning Aug. 24, the agency said in an emailed statement July 24. Two additional ports of entry in New Mexico will begin resuming shipments later.

“Every animal entering the United States through these ports will undergo a full USDA inspection to ensure it is free of any signs of New World screwworm,” the USDA said.

The livestock trade between the two countries has been largely closed since late 2024 following the detection of the New World screwworm, a parasitic fly that can kill cattle within days if left untreated. Despite the preventive measures, the pest was detected in Texas in early June, marking the first such case in U.S. livestock in about five decades. 

“The closure of the Southern ports of entry for the last year has been a tough but necessary action to control the spread of NWS,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in the statement. “Thanks to the work across the federal government as well as state, local, and industry partners, it is now safe to reopen the Douglas, Arizona, port.”

As we look to restore the centuries-old trade between the U.S. and Mexico on live cattle, it is important that the safety of the American cattle herd remains the priority.

Through the Joint Action Plan with Mexico, we will soon safely deliver cattle imports to the states, with… — New World Screwworm Rapid Response (@Screwworm_RR) July 27, 2026

Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum said she has instructed her government to “further accelerate the work and the collaboration with the U.S. to have everything ready as soon as possible to resume the movement of cattle,” according to a post on X. 

Since screwworm emerged in the U.S., the spread has remained relatively contained geographically, prompting calls for reopening the border as a major step toward addressing high beef prices. That’s especially as the paused trade has lowered the prices Mexican ranchers receive, while raising prices for the U.S. feedlots and meatpackers in the final stages of the beef supply chain.

“This decision will help normalize business for cattle operations throughout the border states and Southern Plains,” Colin Woodall, CEO of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, said in a statement.

The trade between the U.S. and Mexico, which amounted to about 1 million head of cattle per year, could help ease a historic U.S. cattle shortage and cool prices. 

The Trump administration has tried repeatedly to tamp down food inflation ahead of midterm elections, including by boosting beef imports from Argentina and Brazil, but average U.S. consumer ground beef prices have continued to top records. 

The U.S. cattle inventory as of July 1 rose modestly but remained near the lowest level in data going back about five decades, the USDA said in a July 24 report. The move is also poised to benefit domestic meat processors who have been paying higher prices to compete for scarce cattle.

A total of 42 cases of screwworm have been detected in the U.S., all but one in Texas, according to a USDA database. Of those, only nine are currently active.