Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the immediate suspension of all cattle, horse, and bison imports coming from Mexico amid the “rapid” spread of a deadly parasitic insect known as the New World screwworm fly.
In a press release on Sunday, Rollins said officials from the Agriculture Department and U.S. Customs and Border Protection will now restrict the live animal imports from Mexico on a month-to-month basis to ensure they can slow and contain the “unacceptable” northward advancement of the fly. The release noted that the insect, which feeds on the tissue of animals, has recently been detected in Mexican farms about 700 miles away from the U.S. southern border despite costly efforts from both countries to eradicate the bug.
Rollins emphasized that the action was taken to protect the U.S.’s food supply, which she said is a national security issue of the “utmost importance.”
“The protection of our animals and safety of our nation’s food supply is a national security issue of the utmost importance. 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,” the agriculture secretary said in a separate statement.
Mexican officials, however, pushed back on the move.
After speaking to Rollins on Sunday, Mexican Agriculture Secretary Julio Berdegue posted on X, “We don’t agree with this measure, but we’re confident we’ll reach an agreement sooner rather than later.