Business · Fortune Technology
The U.S. picked the Mexican state without screwworm to reopen the border. Then it got screwworm
Compiled by KHAO Editorial — aggregated from 1 source. See llms.txt for citation guidance.
◌ Single Source
At daybreak, rancher Martín Alfonso Ibarra takes advantage of the cooler hours in northern Mexico’s desert to oversee the milking of his cows and tend to 16 prized calves.
Key facts
- This is not over yet,” said the 58-year-old rancher, adding that the export halt cut his income by 40% last year
- Before the border closure, Mexico exported about 1.2 million head of cattle to the United States each year, mainly from its northern states
- At daybreak, rancher Martín Alfonso Ibarra takes advantage of the cooler hours in northern Mexico’s desert to oversee the milking of his cows and tend to 16 prized calves
- Now, the U.S. is set to resume livestock imports from Mexico beginning Aug. 24 at the Douglas, Arizona, border crossing, which borders Agua Prieta in Mexico’s Sonora state
Summary
The ban, imposed over concerns about a flesh-eating parasite known as the New World screwworm fly, dealt a blow to cattle and beef industries on both sides of the border, exacerbating a livestock shortage in the U.S. and hurting a Mexican ranching sector already weakened by drought and a cattle export business that generated $1.2 billion for Mexico last year. Now, the U.S. is set to resume livestock imports from Mexico beginning Aug. 24 at the Douglas, Arizona, border crossing, which borders Agua Prieta in Mexico’s Sonora state. The screwworm gets its name from the maggots’ habit of burrowing, or screwing, into a wound, according to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.