Opening the Southern Gate
USDA announces phased reopening of Southern Ports for Livestock Trade.
July 27, 2026
The USDA on July 24 announced a coordinated, phased reopening of southern cattle ports, contingent on Mexico’s adherence to the Joint Action Plan. Beginning Aug. 24, 2026, USDA will open the Douglas, Ariz., port of entry to cattle trade, while simultaneously initiating the operational steps necessary for subsequent openings at the Santa Teresa, N.M., and Columbus, N.M., ports.
Every animal entering the United States through these ports will undergo a full USDA inspection to ensure it is free of any signs of New World screwworm (NWS).
“Protecting the United States from NWS and pushing this pest out of Mexico and back to the Darien Gap is a top priority at USDA and has the full attention of the Trump administration,” says U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins. “The closure of the Southern ports of entry for the last year has been a tough but necessary action to control the spread of NWS in Mexico and protect the American livestock industry. Thanks to the work across the federal government as well as state, local and industry partners, it is now safe to reopen the Douglas, Arizona, port in 30 days to resume the hundreds-year-old movement of cattle.”
For many years, Sonora and Chihuahua have maintained a strong animal health infrastructure program, built on the backs of successful animal disease control measures. While the rest of Mexico has not been able to stop the spread of the screwworm or stop legal and illegal movement, Sonora and Chihuahua do have a track record of success in these spaces, giving USDA confidence that they can do the job.
USDA proposes a phased reopening of Southern ports to livestock trade, contingent upon satisfactory progress on priority Action Plan milestones.
- Sonora and Chihuahua are identified as the lowest-risk Mexican states for New World screwworm due to their strong, well-established inspection programs and their geographic distance from southern Mexico, where most cases are concentrated.
- On Aug. 24, 2026, USDA will reopen the Douglas, Ariz., port, which borders Sonora, to livestock trade. The closest active case to this port is ~325 miles, detected on July 22, 2026. After evaluating the success of the initial reopening and potential effects or risk assessment changes, the Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will then consider reopening the Santa Teresa, N.M., and Columbus, N.M., ports to live cattle, bison and horses.
- The reopening timeline will remain flexible and may be adjusted based on Mexico’s progress in meeting Action Plan milestones and addressing critical issues.
- The opening of ports may be paused if USDA identifies increased risk in Sonora or Chihuahua via post-opening audits or other observations/information.
- For more information about USDA’s New World screwworm response, read USDA Continues to Lead Aggressive National NWS Response.
Industry response
In response, the Arizona Department of Agriculture (AZDA) issued Director’s Administrative Order 26-04 (see sidebar), establishing heightened screening, tracking and inspection protocols for cattle originating from Sonora, Mexico. This follows an all-of-government coordination strategy led by the State of Arizona since livestock imports were suspended in May 2025 due to the spread of NWS. Despite detections in Texas and New Mexico, there are currently no confirmed cases of NWS in Arizona.
“Secretary Rollins and her team at USDA have been fighting the spread of New World screwworm with an aggressive five-point plan and comprehensive response playbook. Their work — along with the diligence of cattle producers in border states — bought the United States valuable time to improve our domestic readiness. The whole-of-government response has put us in a strong position to begin safely and gradually reopening our southern border to cattle shipments,” said National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) CEO Colin Woodall in response to the announcement. “This decision will help normalize business for cattle operations throughout the border states and Southern Plains.”
“Our members need the ability to maintain commerce, but they also need assurance that every reasonable safeguard is in place to reduce the risk of New World screwworm,” said Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) President Stephen Diebel. “USDA’s decision to conditionally reopen limited ports of entry to cattle imports through a phased approach reflects many months of work by USDA, state partners and cattle raisers to strengthen the nation’s response to New World screwworm.”
Diebel said the temporary closure of the border allowed time to prepare — strengthening surveillance, expanding sterile fly production and distribution, and implementing protocols needed to manage NWS.
“That work has laid the foundation for this measured, phased reopening,” he said. “Our priority has always been twofold: protecting the U.S. cattle herd and wildlife while ensuring cattle raisers can continue to operate and markets can function.”
Not all industry affiliates were supportive of the measure. R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard warned that opening the border would expose the United States to unnecessary risk.
“Until and unless the U.S. can stop the northward movement of both legal and illegal cattle from Central America, as well as within Mexico, opening the border will incentivize the northward transport of cattle from southern Mexico, where the screwworm remains endemic,” Bullard said. “The border should not be reopened until Mexico eradicates the pest within its borders and can demonstrate that the pest is once again contained in Central America. It is Mexico that failed to maintain the mitigation measures needed to resist the pest. The U.S. should not now assume the risk caused by Mexico’s failure.”
Editor’s note: This article is compiled from news releases and statements from USDA, the Arizona Department of Agriculture, NCBA, TSCRA and R-CALF USA.
Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA, Vol. 18, No. 8-A
Arizona announces increased screening protocols in response to federal plan to open southern ports to cattle imports
Since the first detection of New World screwworm (NWS) in Mexico, the State of Arizona has led an all-of-government coordinated approach to collaborate with Arizona’s cattle industry in preventing and detecting the presence of NWS.
In response to the USDA announcement, the Arizona Department of Agriculture (AZDA) has issued Director’s Administrative Order 26-04 increasing the screening and tracking protocols for inspection of cattle from Sonora, Mexico, passing through Arizona’s southern ports of entry. This Order follows a previous Director’s Order issued by AZDA in June 2026 that updated animal movement requirements for any animals transported from a domestic NWS Infested Zone (AZDA DAO 26-02).
Despite detections in Texas and New Mexico, there are currently no confirmations of NWS presence in Arizona.
“Arizona has consistently demonstrated its readiness to confront the challenges of screwworm, taking swift action to safeguard our cattle industry and ranchers from this latest outbreak,” said Governor Katie Hobbs. “My administration is in constant communication with local cattle producers, ranchers, the USDA, and our universities. Through enhanced surveillance measures, www.agriculture.az.gov aligned operational response plans, and the development of new strategies to detect and deter the entry of this pest, Arizona is moving quickly and decisively to stay ahead of the situation.”
“We have worked tirelessly with USDA, the cattle industry, our sister states and Mexico to assure a safe border opening when the time came,” said Paul Brierley, AZDA director. “Sonora is known for their excellent disease protocols, and we have implemented new requirements to assure the safe importation of livestock. When trade resumes, we will implement all necessary measures to protect Arizona livestock and wildlife. We are ready.”
“ACGA supports feeder cattle imports from Mexico contingent upon strict adherence to USDA inspection and treatment protocols,” said Brian deGanahl, president of the Arizona Cattle Growers Association (ACGA). “ACGA strongly requests adequate federal funding to accomplish this goal, including the development of the Douglas sterile fly dispersal facility. ACGA recognizes the effort of Sonora, Mexico, as a screwworm-free state and believes imports from this region can be done safely following USDA and AZDA guidelines.”
“The threat of New World screwworm along our southern border is a serious concern for our members, for wildlife, anyone who manages livestock or has pets, and we appreciate the Arizona Department of Agriculture’s efforts to protect animal health in our state,” said John Boelts, president of the Arizona Farm Bureau. “Cross-border movement of livestock will require ongoing vigilance and additional resources, like countermeasure distribution facilities in Arizona, to confront this threat head-on. We are confident that through our continued work with USDA, AZDA and other government agencies, we can mitigate this threat and continue to protect Arizona’s livestock industry.”
“Today’s (July 24) news is a welcome development for the cattle feeder industry that has been hit so hard by the border closure,” said Dave Stevenson, past president of the Arizona Cattle Feeders Association and president of Red Rock Feeding Co. “We appreciate all of the work that Governor Hobbs and the Arizona Department of Agriculture have done to ensure Arizona is prepared for every situation, and ready to manage this phased reopening. We are confident that the protocols and procedures in place will ensure the protection of Arizona’s livestock, while resuming trade to stabilize beef prices and support the economies of the agricultural industry and border communities in southern Arizona.”
To protect Arizona’s livestock and wildlife, the State has implemented comprehensive measures to prevent and prepare for the potential intrusion of NWS, focusing on monitoring, collaboration, and www.agriculture.az.gov industry readiness. At Governor Hobbs’ direction, AZDA has convened an Interagency NWS Coordinators Group to ensure that state, county and local governments are coordinating with the federal government, tribal nations, Arizona universities and industry partners. To maintain vigilance, AZDA works with USDA to maintain and monitor NWS fly traps along the southern border as an early detection system, with the capacity to deploy more if necessary.
The Department operates the Arizona Livestock Incident Response Team (ALIRT) in partnership with the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension and Arizona Cattlegrowers Association to provide training, materials, and support to livestock producers, including NWS sampling kits. Over the past year, AZDA has engaged in more than 60 educational outreach events to spread awareness and training on NWS preparedness and prevention.
NWS is an external pest; it is not a disease, and there are no food safety concerns. Robust regulatory inspection requirements instantly quarantine any symptomatic animal long before it could ever enter the food supply. Grocery products remain 100% safe.
NWS is a highly treatable condition if acted upon quickly. If unusual fly activity or maggots are noticed inside a wound on livestock, pets or wildlife, isolate the animal and contact your veterinarian immediately. Report suspected cases directly to the Office of the State Veterinarian at the Arizona Department of Agriculture by phone at 602-542-4293 or email at diseasereporting@azda.gov. More information on NWS can be found at AZDA’s Screwworm Portal and USDA’s www.screwworm.gov.
— Arizona Department of Agriculture
Topics: Health , Industry News , Management , Policy
Publication: Angus Beef Bulletin
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