(Brandon Bell/Getty Images North America/Bloomberg)
key takeaways:
- The USDA will begin a phased reopening of Mexican cattle imports in Douglas, Ariz., on Aug. 24, following a one-year ban linked to New World screwworm.
- The reopening could ease record beef prices and historic U.S. cattle shortages as Mexico previously supplied about 1 million head of cattle annually.
- USDA inspections will examine every imported animal and additional New Mexico ports will reopen later as US-Mexico cooperation continues.
The US will allow Mexican cattle imports to resume after more than a year of restrictions imposed to prevent the spread of a deadly parasite, as the Trump administration seeks to ease record beef prices.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will begin a phased reopening with imports beginning Aug. 24 at the Douglas, Ariz., port of entry, the agency said in an emailed statement July 24. Two additional ports of entry in New Mexico will resume shipments at a later date.
“Each animal entering the United States through these ports must undergo a full USDA inspection to ensure that it is free of any symptoms of New World screwworm,” the USDA said.
Livestock trade between the two countries has largely halted since the end of 2024 following the detection of New World screwworm, a parasitic fly that can kill cattle within days if left untreated. Despite preventive measures, the pest was detected in Texas in early June, the first such case in US livestock in nearly five decades.
“Closing southern ports of entry last year has been a difficult but necessary action to control the spread of NWS,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in the statement. “Thanks to the work of the federal government as well as state, local and industry partners, it is now safe to reopen the Port of Douglas, Arizona.”
As we look to restore the centuries-old trade between the U.S. and Mexico on live cattle, it is important that the protection of the U.S. cattle herd remains a priority.
Through a joint action plan with Mexico, we will soon safely deliver imported cattle to the States… – New World Screwworm Rapid Response (@Screwworm_RR) 27 July 2026
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she has instructed her government to “accelerate work and cooperation with the US to prepare everything as soon as possible to resume cattle movements,” according to a post on Twitter.
Since the emergence of screwworm in the US, the spread has been relatively controlled geographically, prompting calls to reopen the border as a major step toward addressing high beef prices. This is particularly so because halted trade has lowered the prices Mexican cattlemen receive, while raising prices for U.S. feedlots and meatpackers in the final stages of the beef supply chain.
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“This decision will help normalize cattle business in the border states and southern Plains,” Colin Woodall, CEO of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, said in a statement.
Trade between the U.S. and Mexico, which amounts to about 1 million head of cattle per year, could help ease historic U.S. cattle shortages and lower prices.
The Trump administration has repeatedly tried to reduce food inflation ahead of the midterm elections, including by boosting beef imports from Argentina and Brazil, but ground beef prices for the average US consumer remain at record highs.
The USDA said in a July 24 report that U.S. cattle inventories increased modestly through July 1, but remained near the lowest level in nearly five decades of data. The move will also benefit domestic meat processors who are paying higher prices to compete for scarce cattle.
According to the USDA database, a total of 42 cases of screwworm have been found in the US, all but one in Texas. Only nine of them are currently active.
