Effective Nov. 22, the Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is suspending the importation of live ruminants (including cattle and bison) originating from or transiting Mexico based on the confirmation of New World screwworm in cattle at an inspection checkpoint close to Mexico’s border with Guatemala. APHIS states that this restriction will remain in place pending further information from Mexican veterinary authorities on the size and scope of the NWS infestation.
APHIS notes that imports of bovine germplasm, sheep and goats and their germplasm, and swine and their germplasm from Mexico are already prohibited. Dogs and horses may continue to be imported from Mexico but will be subject to specific requirements.
APHIS states that since 2006 it has collaborated with Panama to maintain a barrier zone in eastern Panama that aims to prevent the movement of NWS from South America to NWS-free areas in Central and North America. However, over the last two years NWS has spread north of that barrier throughout Panama and into Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, and now Mexico. APHIS is continuing to work with partners in the region to eradicate NWS from these areas and reestablish the barrier in Panama, including by releasing sterile flies at strategic locations.
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