Miller, Meat Institute, NCBA pleased border to open to Mexican cattle

After Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced Friday that the U.S. government would open Arizona and New Mexico ports of entry to Mexican cattle, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, the Meat Institute and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association praised the decision, while R-CALF USA opposed it and the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association expressed “concern.”

Rollins said the Arizona port of entry at Douglas would open Aug. 24.

At border crossings in Douglas and later in Santa Teresa, N.M., and Columbus, N.M., “every animal entering the United States through these ports will undergo a full USDA inspection to ensure it is free of any signs of New World screwworm (NWS),” the Agriculture Department’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said in the announcement.

“Protecting the United States from NWS and pushing this pest out of Mexico and back to the Darien Gap is a top priority at USDA and has the full attention of the Trump administration,” Rollins said in the announcement. “The closure of the southern ports of entry for the last year has been a tough but necessary action to control the spread of NWS in Mexico and protect the American livestock industry. Thanks to the work across the federal government as well as state, local, and industry partners, it is now safe to reopen the Douglas, Ariz., port in 30 days to resume the hundreds-year-old movement of cattle.”

APHIS said that the Mexican states of Sonora and Chihuahua “have maintained a strong animal health infrastructure program, built on the backs of successful animal disease control measures. While the rest of Mexico has not been able to stop the spread of the screwworm or stop legal and illegal movement, Sonora and Chihuahua do have a track record of success in these spaces, giving USDA confidence that they can do the job.”

APHIS explained, “The closest active case to the Douglas, Ariz., port is ~325 miles detected on July 22, 2026. After evaluating the success of the initial reopening and potential impacts or risk assessment changes, APHIS will then consider reopening the Santa Teresa, N.M., and Columbus, N.M., ports to live cattle, bison and horses.

APHIS said the reopening timeline will remain flexible and may be adjusted based on Mexico’s progress in meeting action plan milestones and addressing critical issues. The opening of ports may be paused if USDA identifies increased risk in Sonora or Chihuahua via post-opening audits or other observations/information.

Miller, who has been a critic of the Trump administration’s handling of screwworm, said in a news release, “Resuming cattle importation from Mexico is the right move for ranchers and American consumers, but it’s a decision that should have been made sooner. While I’m pleased to see this important trade relationship restored, the prolonged closure has already taken a toll on producers, disrupted supply chains, and created uncertainty that could have lasting consequences for the cattle industry.”

Miller noted that officials from Mexico, Texas and New Mexico had held a New World Screwworm Summit on July 16 at the New Mexico Border Authority facility in Santa Teresa, N.M., which Miller described as “the most modern livestock processing facility on the U.S./Mexico border.”

Miller added, “I want to thank Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins for responding to my call to reopen our border to importing cattle.

“However, USDA’s current approach to the New World screwworm threat has not gone far enough. While there have been important steps in the right direction, the pace and scale of the screwworm response have not matched the threat. USDA has spent more than a year reacting instead of getting ahead of the problem, and our producers have paid the price. We cannot afford to rely on half-measures when billions of dollars in livestock production are on the line.”

Julie Anna Potts, president and CEO of the Meat Institute, which represents processors, said, “USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins has provided steady, science-driven leadership by pairing innovative dispersal of sterile flies and significant federal investment to protect the U.S. livestock and poultry industry. We support a careful, phased reopening of the border that reflects both vigilance and confidence in our response plans.

“Importing cattle from Mexico allows beef packers to better meet consumer demand given the tight supply of U.S. cattle. We will continue to support efforts to retain heifers and expand the herd as the best way to address the high price of beef for consumers.”

NCBA CEO Colin Woodall said, “This decision will help normalize business for cattle operations throughout the border states and southern plains. We appreciate the continued work of USDA to support American producers and the U.S. cattle industry.”

Bill Bullard, CEO of R-CALF USA, said in an email, “Opening the border now will expose the U.S. to an unnecessary risk of additional NW screwworm infestations. Until and unless the U.S. can stop the northward movement of both legal and illegal cattle trafficking from Central America as well as within Mexico, opening the border will incentive the northward transport of cattle from southern Mexico where the screwworm remains endemic. The border should not be reopened until Mexico eradicates the pest from within its borders and can demonstrate that the pest is again contained below the Darien Gap. It is Mexico that failed to maintain needed mitigation measures to resist the introduction and spread of the pest. The U.S. should not now assume the risk caused by Mexico’s failure.”

Jenna Stanton, director of policy and public affairs at the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association, said, “USCA is concerned that USDA’s decision to reopen the southern border to Mexican cattle is putting short‑term initiatives ahead of long‑term herd health and the expectations of U.S. ranchers. If the agency is going to move forward, they must enforce the highest import standards and fully prioritize domestic preparedness (e.g. sterile fly production, producer-accessible tools) to keep the threats of NWS spreading at an absolute minimum.”

Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association President Stephen Diebel said, “Our members need the ability to maintain commerce, but they also need assurance that every reasonable safeguard is in place to reduce the risk of New World screwworm. USDA’s decision to conditionally reopen limited ports of entry to cattle imports through a phased approach reflects many months of work by USDA, state partners and cattle raisers to strengthen the nation’s response to New World screwworm.

“The temporary closure of the border provided valuable time to strengthen surveillance, expand sterile fly production and distribution, and implement protocols needed to manage New World screwworm. That work has laid the foundation for this measured, phased reopening.

“Our priority has always been twofold: protecting the U.S. cattle herd and wildlife while ensuring cattle raisers can continue to operate and markets can function. TSCRA will continue closely monitoring the situation and will not hesitate to urge the immediate closure of these ports should science indicate the risk has changed.”

According to the APHIS screwworm dashboard, the number of cases in the United States is now 42, all in Texas cattle, sheep, goats and a dog, except for one dog in New Mexico.