Mexico resumes live cattle exports to US amid phased border reopening and disease controls

Mexican cattle producers are set to restart live exports to the United States from 24 August, following a phased border reopening and strict disease control measures amid ongoing screwworm outbreaks on both sides of the frontier.

Mexican cattle producers are preparing to resume live exports to the United States from 24 August, after Washington agreed to reopen selected border crossings in stages following its earlier suspension over the New World screwworm threat.

For ranchers such as Martín Alfonso Ibarra in Sonora, the restart offers relief after months of lost sales and forced discounts in the domestic market. He said his income fell sharply when access to the US was halted, leaving producers to sell animals at prices far below those available across the border.

The reopening will not be immediate or unrestricted. According to the US Department of Agriculture, cattle imports from Mexico will be allowed back through a phased system, with strict inspection measures designed to limit disease risk. Sonora’s animal health chief, Arturo Ruiz, said the first week will cap crossings at 700 head a day, rising gradually to 1,300, alongside radio-frequency tags, detection arches and dog inspections.

The measures follow months of disruption on both sides of the frontier. Mexico has reported 1,969 active cases of screwworm, while US officials have struggled to contain outbreaks in Texas and New Mexico. Industry figures say the pause worsened shortages in the American herd, helped lift beef prices and forced some processing plants to slow or suspend activity.