EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A cattle ban placed on the southern border has prompted dozens of U.S. representatives to introduce a bill that would prevent a similar suspension from happening again.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced May 11 the suspension of cattle, horse and bison imports due to the northward spread of the new world screwworm (NWS) in Mexico.
According to the USDA, the NWS is a parasitic fly that burrows into the flesh of a living animal that can cause deadly damage. These pests can infect livestock, wildlife, pets and in rare cases, people.
The infestation has been confirmed in Oaxaca and Veracruz, around 700 miles south of the U.S. border.
In response to the outbreak, a number of legislators introduced a bipartisan bill on May 14 to combat the parasite and protect domestic livestock.
According to a news release sent by the officer of U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, the bill Strengthening Tactics to Obstruct the Population of Screwworms (STOP Screwworms) Act would authorize funds for the USDA to begin construction on a rearing facility for sterile flies.
According to the bill text, the U.S.-based facility would produce sterile screwworm flies that would be released into infested areas to help combat the growth of the screwworm population.
“It’s important that Texans stop relying on other people to do our work. That’s where I think it’s important that we get this facility built in Texas that sterilizes these flies, that prevents them from spreading of this parasite that would wipe out our industry,” Gonzales said.
“This bipartisan legislation will fund a new sterile fly facility to help stop the spread of the destructive New World screwworm and protect New Mexico’s 1.4 million cattle and calves. This is a critical investment that supports over 10,000 cattle farms and ranches in New Mexico, saves the U.S. livestock industry nearly $1 billion each year, and helps prevent an outbreak in the U.S,” said Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-New Mexico.
The construction would be a costly feat, with Gonzales estimating the price tag to be in the multi-million-dollar range.
“It’s not a drop in the bucket,” he said. “It would be hundreds of millions of dollars. This is why it’s so important that the administration and Secretary Rollins has led on this understanding the importance of how to tackle it. It would cost billions to rebuild our beef industry if screwworms were to hit. This is where I think it’s a drop in the bucket compared to what could happen.”
The trade of livestock itself is a multi-billion-dollar industry, something the New Mexico Border Authority says will suffer millions of dollars in losses over this suspension period.
“This is the second halt on cattle from Mexico, a suspension that will result in millions of dollars being lost. … From the Chihuahuan cattle it’s going to represent around almost $100 million on these days,” said NMBA Executive Director Gerardo Fierro.
Fierro said impacts on trade go beyond the beef industry, adding that that the White House’s policies impact communities on both sides of the border.
“Through Santa Teresa, the total trade value for cattle last year was almost $1 billion just on the value of the animals that are crossing through Santa Teresa … but it goes far beyond like, for example, Columbus Palomas, which is Columbus, New Mexico and Palomas, Chihuahua. They never reopened that port because of the new administration and all the changes with the employees,” Fierro said.
Fierro said this resulted in staff across different industries like hotels, restaurants, and ranchers losing income.
“You see it on those smaller communities where cattle imports and exports represent most of their incomes … smaller towns like Columbus, Palomas, where they depend on that industry, it’s harsh to see those folks suffer,” he said.
“It’s frustrating from the trade community but it’s also stressful to the northern states of Mexico because they don’t have the problem though they’re paying the price because only the northern states of Mexico are the ones that are allowed to export cattle into the United States,” Fierro said.
Fierro said USDA has received the green light to hire around 17 technicians to help with inspections once the halt is lifted which will help in expediting the process and cover the time loss during the suspension.
The halt on Mexican cattle imports is just the latest obstacle the cattle and livestock industry has faced, with prices increasing due to tariffs and an ongoing drought that has impacted cattle inventory.
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