The United States suspends the importation of live cattle from Mexico on screw worm plague

The United States will suspend the imports of live cattle through ports along the southern border with Mexico for at least two weeks to review the joint strategy in the fight against the screw worm, the United States Department of Agriculture said Sunday.

Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a statement that the screw wormwhich is a parasite that could be fatal, was recently detected in remote farms to northern Oaxaca and Veracruz, about 700 miles from the US border.

“The protection of our animals and the security of the food supply of our nation is a national security issue of utmost importance,” he said in a statement. “Once we see the greatest surveillance and eradication efforts, and the positive results of these actions, we remain committed to open the border for cattle trade. It is not about politics or punishment in Mexico, but it is about food and animal security.”

The Secretary of Agriculture of Mexico, Julio Berdegué, said on the social networks that he had spoken with Rollins, who had reported the decision.

“We do not agree with this measure, but we are sure that we will reach an agreement sooner rather than later,” Berdegué said.

What is a screw worm?

The screw worm is a hominivorax hominivorax flyfast larva that can invade the tissues of any hot blood animal, including humans. The parasite enters the skin of animals, causing serious damage and injuries that can be fatal.

The Ministry of Health of Mexico issued an epidemiological alert this month after the first human case of screw worm miiasis was confirmed on April 17 in a 77 -year -old woman who lives in the southern state of Chiapas. This year, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department issued a warning in January on animals that can be affected by the dangerous “Maneater” parasites.

The United States restricted Mexican cattle shipments at the end of November after plague detection, but raised the ban in February after protocols were implemented to evaluate animals before entering the country.

But there has been an “unacceptable advance to the north” of the screw worm, said the United States Department of Agriculture in a statement on Sunday.

“Additional measures should be taken to stop the north progression of this mortal parasite fly,” the statement added.

In the last two years, the screw worm has spread to the north by Panama and in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Belize and now Mexico, said the department.

In:
• Mexico
• Agriculture