The Santa Teresa cattle port is expected to reopen this Thursday, after being closed for 14 months due to concerns over the spread of the New World screwworm.
U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins visited Santa Teresa and announced the port reopening last week allowing cattle imports from Mexico to resume.
This is part of a phased reopening of all southern cattle ports. Three weeks ago, the Douglas, Arizona port reopened.
43% of all Mexican cattle crossings happen at the Santa Teresa Port, according to Rollins.
The port was closed in May of last year to prevent New World screwworm from spreading. According to the USDA, there have been 50 total cases in the U.S. Rollins added that none of the infected animals have died.
“This is about protecting America and our American livestock and making sure our great cattle ranchers can continue to feed and fuel America and that the avenues of commerce continue unabated moving forward,” she said.
Rollins said screwworm has been contained, but not eradicated . Protocols to keep it contained will be implemented at open crossing ports, including a full inspection from USDA in Chihuahua before cattle cross into the U.S., and the use of sniffing dogs that have been trained by USDA to detect screwworm
100 million sterile flies are being released every week in Texas and Mexico, in total about 1 billion have been released along the border so far according to Rollins. The sterile male flies will mate with female screwworm flies to reduce the population. It's the same method that pushed the flies back into South America in the 1960's.
The number of cows processed will depend on how efficiently the protocols are being implemented, said USDA Under Secretary of Marketing & Regulatory Programs Dudley Hoskins.
“We will process the maximum number of head we can while not compromising the integrity of the protocol and the inspections,” Hoskins said.
This reopening is a moment of celebration for Mexican cattle owners said Alvaro Bustillos Chairmen of Chihuahua Cattle growers association.
“It's very impactful for them to be able to have value added on what their product is. This represents 100% value increase on their income once they are able to export their cattle," Bustillos said.
Currently there are 3 active cases of Screwworm in the U.S. One is a horse in Grant County, which New Mexico Department of Agriculture officials announced Friday.
Rollins said the Columbus Port of Entry is expected to open soon as well.
