Mexico wants to export cattle to the US again

Mexico and the United States are in serious discussion about new measures against the flesh-eating parasite that is tormenting the Mexican cattle sector. Since May, there has been barely any cattle exported to the United States, and the Mexican sector wants to change that. The stakes for the Mexican livestock sector are high, as Mexico exports a lot of cattle to the United States. The United States has significantly limited cattle imports from Mexico since May. American ranchers, including the industry organization R-CALF USA, have publicly urged the government in Washington to exert pressure on Mexico to stop the northward movement of cattle and the illegal trade in cattle from other Latin American countries. The plague, which officials say has not yet crossed the American border, poses a significant risk to the Mexican beef industry. In 2024, the United States imported just under 1,250,000 cattle from Mexico. This amounts to 14.4% of Mexican cattle production, which reached 8.6 million animals that year. Politics The United States appears reluctant to allow imports again. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins attributes a recently confirmed case of infection with the parasite in the Mexican state of Nuevo León, less than 113 kilometers from the border, to poor control measures in Mexico. According to him, the country is failing to sufficiently restrict livestock transport and to maintain the equipment that monitors fly activity. Meanwhile, Mexico is struggling to get the outbreak, which has moved north from Central America, under control. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated last week that the country is working on new measures that will be announced soon, but emphasized that limiting livestock transport from the south to the north is no easy task. Senasica informed Reuters on September 25 that the traps used to monitor fly activity are checked every three to four days. This frequency has been established in consultation with American counterparts, according to the agency. Additionally, Senasica has implemented a dual control system at the place of origin of the cattle. Mexican sector opposes The Mexican meat sector is increasingly opposing new government regulations that restrict the transportation of cattle. The measures come as tensions with the United States rise due to an outbreak of the flesh-eating parasite. According to the industry organization AMEG, limiting the transport of animals from the south to the north threatens to severely disrupt trade flows. A document from September 19 from the Mexican Ministry of Agriculture additionally reveals that cattle must now be treated with the antiparasitic agent ivermectin 72 hours prior to transport.