APHIS Halts Live Animal Imports Across US Southern Border Again Due to Screwworm

May 21, 2025

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced May 11 the suspension of cattle, horse, and bison imports through ports of entry along the southern border due to the rapid northward spread of New World screwworm (NWS) in Mexico, effective immediately.

Despite continued efforts by the U.S. and Mexico to stop the spread of NWS and eradicate it from Mexico, the flesh-eating parasitic fly has been recently detected in remote farms with minimal cattle movement as far north as Oaxaca and Veracruz, about 700 miles from the U.S. border, according to the USDA announcement.

USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), in conjunction with Customs and Border Protection (CBP), temporarily suspended livestock imports from Mexico after the latter detected NWS in November 2024. The ban was lifted in February after the U.S. and Mexico agreed to implement a preclearance inspection and treatment protocol to mitigate the threat of NWS.

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Video: Farm Health Guardian | Digital Biosecurity in Real Time

Disease risk, biosecurity, and real-time monitoring continue to be major topics across the pork industry. In this episode of Swine Web Industry Perspectives, presented by Farm Health Guardian, we discuss how digital biosecurity and real-time data are changing the way producers think about herd protection, people movement, and operational decision-making.

The conversation explores:

disease risk in modern pork production,

the impact of people movement on biosecurity,

the importance of real-time monitoring,

digital biosecurity technology,

and how Farm Health Guardian developed tools designed to support modern swine operations.

As the industry continues focusing on prevention, preparedness, and operational efficiency, connected technologies and actionable data are becoming increasingly important parts of modern herd health management.