U.S. feedlots can resume importing cattle from Mexico, according to the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) on Saturday.
The agency halted imports of Mexican cattle and bison after Mexico detected a case of New World Screwworm in a cow in the southern part of the country.
The reopening of cross-border cattle movements won’t come without some restrictions. APHIS and Mexico agreed on a comprehensive pre-clearance inspection and treatment protocol, according to a statement.
New measures include pre-export inspection pens in Mexico, which APHIS visited, inspected, and approved. Livestock will be inspected and treated for screwworm at the pens. Approved cattle and bison will be dipped in a solution to ensure they are insect- and tick-free.
Increased pre-export measures will likely slow a restart in cattle imports. The USDA’s Economic Research Service will release livestock trade data for December on Friday. The data will offer a glimpse into the impacts of the cattle ban, which began in late November. The full impact may not be realized for months.
APHIS said it will release sterile flies in southern Mexico and Central America to help eradicate the disease.