For Immediate Release
By: R-CALF USA Communications Director Jaiden Moreland
Contact: R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard
Phone: 406-252-2516; r-calfusa@r-calfusa.com
BILLINGS, Mont., July 27, 2026 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on Friday its plan to reopen the entry port at Douglas, Arizona, within 30 days as part of a phased reopening of the southern border to imports of livestock from Mexico.
R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard issued the following statement:
“We appreciate Secretary Rollins’ past commitment to protecting U.S. livestock and recognize the tremendous effort USDA personnel have undertaken in response to the New World screwworm outbreak. However, the secretary’s plan to begin a phased reopening of the border, purportedly with additional safeguards, is premature.
“New World screwworm remains active in Mexico, where a total of over 34,000 cases has so far been detected since the outset of the outbreak, including two cases in Chihuahua, which is one of the two Mexican states the USDA states are of lowest risk. The pest breached the U.S. border in early June, and 41 cases have so far been detected in Texas and one in New Mexico. In July, Mexico detected 62 new cases within about 100 miles of the U.S. border.
“We believe that USDA’s efforts to date have helped to mitigate the risk of the pest’s introduction and spread in the United States, but they have not yet eliminated that risk.
“The USDA continues ramping up efforts to produce enough male sterile flies to effectively eliminate the pest, but current production is far less than the up to 500 million sterile flies per week the USDA had stated would enable the agency to push the pest back to the Darién Gap containment zone.
“We remain concerned about reports indicating that illegal cattle trafficking is occurring between Central America and Mexico, as well as within Mexico. Illegally trafficked cattle likely bypass Mexico’s biosecurity measures and may contribute to the continued northward migration of the pest.
“Opening the border to livestock from Mexico will likely further incentivize the south-to-north movement of cattle within Mexico, which is known to facilitate the northward migration of the pest.
“Our position has not changed since Mexico’s initial announcement that the New World screwworm had entered its borders. Until Mexico can demonstrate it has fully eradicated the pest from within its borders, the USDA should maintain and strengthen all of its defenses against the pest, including keeping the border closed.”
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Ranchers Cattlemen Action Legal Fund United Stockgrowers of America (R-CALF USA) is the largest producer-only lobbying and trade association representing U.S. cattle and sheep producers. It is a national, nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring the continued profitability and viability of the U.S. cattle and sheep industries. Visit www.r-calfusa.com or call 406-252-2516 for more information.