With tighter checks for flesh-eating screwworm, a border crossing
reopens
[October 27, 2026] By
SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN
With the all-clear from U.S. agriculture inspectors, Mexican cattle
began moving on Monday through a border crossing in New Mexico that had
been closed for nearly two years as both nations work to stop the
flesh-eating New World screwworm from spreading.
The screwworm — actually a fly larva that burrows into the flesh of
livestock, pets and even humans — has threatened the $113 billion U.S.
cattle industry. Containment efforts have cost jobs and trade in border
communities, cutting off a source of cattle as the U.S. struggles to
rebuild drought-depleted herds. Reopening crossings could help ease that
squeeze, although experts caution that shoppers shouldn't expect quick
relief on beef prices.
The port at Columbus, New Mexico, is the third to resume Mexican cattle
imports under new safeguards, which include tests, shots and inspections
that happen before an animal even gets close to the border.
Officials and ranchers in the two countries say layers of treatment and
inspection give them confidence that imported livestock won't carry
screwworm through the ports. But flies can buzz across the border on
their own, meaning ranchers, hunters and pet owners should remain
vigilant.
The parasite was an annual livestock scourge before being largely
eradicated in the U.S. in the 1960s. It reappeared in Mexico in 2024,
and the first confirmed U.S. case was in Texas in June.
More than 60 cases have been confirmed in Texas and New Mexico, with
infestations of cattle, sheep, goats, horses and dogs. Last week, the
first case in U.S. wildlife was confirmed after a hunter found screwworm
in an elk.
Before the current outbreak, the U.S. was importing about 1 million head
of cattle per year. It will take time to get back to that number while
keeping a sharp eye on the risks to animal health, said Dudley Hoskins,
undersecretary for the Department of Agriculture.
“As long as we can manage and mitigate that risk at an acceptable level,
we will continue to process the safe and legal movement of cattle
through these ports,” he said, watching as cattle lined up in the chutes
at Columbus.
New Mexico is key for cattle imports
About a third of all Mexican cattle imported to the U.S. each year pass
through Columbus and the Santa Teresa port near El Paso, Texas. Gerardo
Fierro, executive director of the New Mexico Border Authority, pegged
the value of the cattle trade for the area at $1 billion.
Fierro said the community watched as jobs, cattle sales and even tax
revenue from the diesel fuel used to transport the animals evaporated
due to the closures. Ranchers were no longer crossing into New Mexico
and spending money on supplies, lodging and food, and farmers had no
customers for their alfalfa and grain.
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A calf stands in a pen for inspection for export to the United
States at a regional cattle ranchers association in Hermosillo,
Mexico, Aug. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano, File)
 “This means a lot,” he said of the
reopening.
Another border crossing for cattle in Arizona is due to open in late
November.
Layers of safeguards ensure cows are clean
New Mexico state veterinarian Samantha Holeck said the rigorous
process for getting cattle ready starts at their home ranches, where
private veterinarians check for tuberculosis and other diseases and
deliver medications that prevent screwworm.
At the next stop, veterinarians accredited by the Mexican government
look for open wounds, signs of illness or other injuries. Then a
head-to-tail inspection is done by the USDA while still in Mexico.
The last hurdle? Dipping — as it's commonly known — involves the
cows being immersed in vats of insecticide to get rid of any missed
parasites.
Flies have lots of ways to move around
Holeck said the protocols developed over recent years helped to buy
more time, and the USDA is using fly traps and drones to survey
areas.
The government has a longstanding program to breed sterile male
flies and drop swarms of them from planes to mate with wild females,
causing the flies to die out. The government is building a $610
million factory in Texas that can produce 300 million sterile flies
per week. That will augment production at facilities in Mexico and
Panama.
“That’s our sharpest tool,” Hoskins said.
Beef prices are a bigger problem
Mexican ranchers once again have a market for their feeder cattle,
but experts say it will take time for U.S. ranchers to rebuild herds
that have dwindled to record lows due to years of persistent
drought. Constrained supplies have pushed prices higher.
Tom Paterson, president of the New Mexico Cattle Grower's
Association, was among those who met with U.S. Agriculture Secretary
Brooke Rollins last week in Columbus.
“I agree with the secretary,” he said, “when she says that food
security is national security.”
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