Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced on Sunday that the United States would immediately pause imports of cows, horses, and bison at the ports of entry along the southern border due to the “rapid northward spread of New World Screwworm (NWS) in Mexico.”
“Secretary Berdegué and I have worked closely on the [New World Screwworm] response; however, it is my duty to take all steps within my control to protect the livestock industry in the United States from this devastating pest,” Rollins said. “Once we see increased surveillance and eradication efforts, and the positive results of those actions, we remain committed to opening the border for livestock trade. This is not about politics or punishment of Mexico, rather it is about food and animal safety.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, screwworms spread by laying eggs in open wounds or in the bodily openings of warm-blooded animals, such as in the “nose, mouth, or eyes, umbilical cord of a newborn animal, or genitals.” After some hundreds or thousands of eggs are laid, the larvae hatch, “feed on the living flesh,” then drop to the ground to later emerge as screwworm flies.
The USDA will be “taking all possible actions to monitor for, and limit, the northward movement” of the screwworms. One such measure included dispersing the USDA Tick Riders, a horseback-based group, that will monitor livestock and wildlife movement along the southern border. The USDA is also releasing sterile flies in the hopes of lowering the screwworm population.
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