Livestock Trade Is Reopening as Texas Continues Fighting Screwworm

The United States is preparing to reopen another livestock port along the Mexican border next week, extending a cautious return to cross-border cattle trade even as New World screwworm remains active in Texas.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is preparing to reopen a New Mexico port after watching the first phase of the reopening operate for more than three weeks in Douglas, Arizona.

Douglas reopened to cattle imports from Mexico on Aug. 24 after months of restrictions intended to slow the northward spread of New World screwworm. USDA has not yet publicly identified which New Mexico port will reopen next, but its current plan lists Santa Teresa and Columbus as the next locations under consideration.

The timing makes the decision notable. USDA says two active screwworm infestations remain in the United States, both in Texas: one involving a horse and another involving a dog.

A reopening with safeguards

The border is not simply returning to its previous routine.

Under USDA’s phased plan, livestock entering through reopened ports must undergo federal inspection for signs of New World screwworm. The agency has also said additional port openings can be delayed or reversed if conditions worsen or if monitoring indicates increased risk in Mexican states near the border.

USDA’s current screwworm status page says the reopening of Douglas was the first step in a broader plan that depends on progress under a joint U.S.-Mexico animal-health strategy. The agency says the schedule remains flexible.

That means next week’s New Mexico reopening is less a declaration that the threat has ended than a test of whether trade can resume while surveillance and containment continue.

USDA’s current status and port information is available at Screwworm.gov.

Why screwworm causes so much concern

New World screwworm is a parasitic fly whose larvae feed on the living tissue of warm-blooded animals. Infestations can begin in relatively small wounds and can affect cattle, horses, pets, wildlife and, more rarely, people.

The pest was eradicated from the United States decades ago through an intensive program that included releasing sterile male flies. Its return has triggered renewed surveillance, movement restrictions and sterile-fly releases aimed at preventing a wider outbreak.

Texas has been the center of the U.S. response since the first domestic case of the current outbreak was confirmed in June. Some previously designated infested zones have since been released from special movement requirements after meeting federal and state criteria, while several zones remain in place.

On Sept. 16, USDA and the Texas Animal Health Commission released another Texas infested zone after officials determined it met the requirements for removal. The action lifted screwworm-related movement requirements within that specific area, although other livestock movement and export rules remain in effect.

The latest USDA Texas update is available here.

The next test moves to New Mexico

When USDA announced the phased reopening in July, it said Douglas would reopen first, followed by operational preparations for Santa Teresa and Columbus in New Mexico. Every animal entering through those ports would receive a full USDA inspection for signs of screwworm.

The agency has since pointed to the operation at Douglas as evidence that livestock trade can resume under tighter safeguards. Reuters reported Wednesday that Rollins said officials were prepared to close a port again if another threat emerged.

Reuters reported the New Mexico reopening plan on Sept. 16.

For ranchers and livestock businesses across Texas, Arizona and New Mexico, the next few weeks will show whether the phased approach can hold: reopen trade where officials believe the risk can be managed, keep inspections and surveillance in place, and move quickly if new infestations appear.

The important development is not that the screwworm problem is over. It is that federal officials now believe at least some livestock trade can operate alongside the continuing response.