(NewsNation) — U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins sent a warning to Mexico this weekend, saying she’ll cut off beef imports from Mexico if the country doesn’t step up efforts to stop the spread of a flesh-eating parasite.
The New World Screwworm is a fly larva that can destroy livestock populations.
In a letter to the Mexican ambassador to the U.S., Rollins threatened to block the importation of live cattle, bison and horses if Mexico doesn’t meet U.S. demands.
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Currently, to combat these parasites, the U.S. Department of Agriculture uses aircraft to fly over farms and release sterilized insects. The sterile flies breed with wild screwworms, ultimately eradicating the species.
Rollins wants cooperation from Mexico on flights and has asked the country to designate a point person to work with USDA inspectors, to cut through red tape.
If the screwworm reaches U.S. farms, it could cost farmers millions of dollars annually, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President Buck Wehrbein warns.
Between the 1930s and 1950s, U.S. farmers lost up to $100 million each year due to infestations.
The New World Screwworm was largely eradicated in the U.S. by the 1960s and in Central America in the 1980s. It has made a comeback in recent years.
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The screwworm was detected in Mexico in November, prompting the USDA to ban cattle and bison imports from Mexico until February.
Mexico has until Wednesday to respond to the new demands. If the problem is not resolved, higher beef prices could be the result.
