MEXICO CITY — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum voiced disappointment Monday over the Trump administration’s recent decision to halt Mexican beef cattle imports for a 15-day period after discovering screwworm in shipments. Sheinbaum, having spent months addressing tariff threats from U.S. President Donald Trump, expressed concern about the economic consequences this suspension could bring to Mexico.
“This measure is unjust,” Sheinbaum commented during her morning press briefing. She emphasized the Mexican government’s proactive stance, stating, “From the very first moment we were alerted to the screwworm, we’ve been tackling this issue on all fronts.” The U.S. originally imposed restrictions on Mexican cattle exports late last November after detecting the pest, but those were lifted in February once protocols for evaluating animals prior to entry were implemented. However, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently noted an “unacceptable northward advancement” of the screwworm, prompting renewed action.
“This pest caused immense damage to our livestock industry in the past, taking 30 years for our sector to recover,” asserted U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on the X social media platform. “We cannot allow this to happen again.” The screwworm, a larva of the Cochliomyia hominivorax fly, poses serious risks by invading the tissues of warm-blooded animals, including humans, potentially leading to severe and life-threatening lesions and damage.
Mexico’s Health Ministry has already issued an epidemiological warning for screwworm myiasis, especially after confirming the first human case on April 17. This case involved a 77-year-old woman residing in Chiapas, located in southern Mexico, highlighting the health risks the parasite poses to the population.