A new case of New World Screwworm has been confirmed in Veracruz, Mexico, prompting USDA to immediately close southern ports to livestock trade. The case was found roughly 160 miles north of the sterile fly dispersal zone and 370 miles south of the U.S. border. The USDA was in the process of a phased-in reopening of the border following earlier detections in Oaxaca and Veracruz that closed livestock movement in May. However, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins reversed course in response to the new detection, citing the need to protect U.S. animals and the food supply. USDA says monitoring, enforcement, and eradication efforts are being expanded in Mexico and along the border.
