Mexico tightens livestock controls as meat meal contamination threat delays U.S. border reopening

Mexico is tightening controls on domestic livestock movements as U.S. and Mexican authorities race to contain the New World Meatmeal outbreak that has crippled cross-border livestock shipments for months. While Mexico has not yet announced a complete official ban on all south-to-north livestock movements, authorities have imposed new restrictions, increased inspections, and limited import routes from Central America—steps seen as necessary prerequisites for the potential reopening of the U.S.-Mexico livestock corridor.

Mexico's agricultural health agency, SENASICA, has restricted livestock imports from Central America to one entry point, Puerto Chiapas, where stricter inspection and biosecurity protocols can be applied. This step was taken following concerns that livestock shipments entering through several southern entry points could accelerate the spread of the parasite northward.

These import restrictions are coupled with increased controls within Mexico, including new checkpoints, the release of sterile insects, and movement control measures aimed at preventing the movement of infected livestock to northern states. The situation escalated after Mexican authorities confirmed a case of screwworm in Nuevo León, just 110 kilometers from the US border.

Despite progress on the Mexican side, USDA officials say the United States is not yet ready to reopen the border to live cattle. The agency continues to cite unresolved issues related to containment, inspections, and the risk of the parasite entering the American herd if restrictions are lifted prematurely. Mexico's agriculture minister acknowledged that there is no official date yet for the resumption of exports to the north.

The ongoing suspension has dramatically disrupted trade flows. Mexican feedlot imports into the U.S. have plummeted, while Mexican farmers are struggling due to delayed sales and lower domestic prices. Feedlot operators in the southwestern U.S. are reporting shortages in their normally stable cross-border supply. Controls on movement within Mexico, including a new "choke point" in the south, are apparently among the requirements Washington is awaiting before considering a partial reopening of the border. But with maggot meal still active in parts of Mexico and containment measures ongoing, the path to resuming livestock exports remains unclear and politically sensitive on both sides of the border.

Regarding possible timelines, most sources continue to point to January as the start of the phased border reopening. Some reports point to this month.