U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins has announced a plan to strategically reopen key ports of entry along the southern border to shipments of live cattle, bison and horses from Mexico beginning as early as July 7. Following extensive collaboration between USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and its counterpart in Mexico to increase New World screwworm (NWS) surveillance, detection and eradication efforts, the phased reopening is set to begin with the port near Douglas, AZ.
Progress has been made in several critical areas since ports were closed May 11, including overcoming challenges with conducting flights in Mexico to disperse sterile NWS flies.
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