How Did NWS Get So Close To The U.S. Border?

USDA has staff in Mexico trying to determine why a cow infected with New World Screwworm was relocated from the southern part of that country to within 70 miles of the U.S. border.  Deputy Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Lauren Stump, said it remains unclear why this case was not caught by Mexican officials, and why the eight-month-old cow was moved to a northern Mexico feedlot.

“We have to advance that U.S. oversight and surveillance," she noted.  "We’ve got to get better case reporting, lock down that animal movement that’s happening in Mexico, to prevent further spread.”

Mexico's Role?

Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins accused Mexico of not cooperating to combat New World Screwworm’s spread and vowed stepped up American Action to protect the multi billion-dollar U.S. beef industry and consumers.

“We’re doing proactive trapping in areas where we know it is not yet so that we have that early proactive signaling," Stump said.  "We’ve also deployed traps along the US border in Texas, in Arizona and New Mexico, and are looking at deploying traps in California.”

USDA Plans To Spend Millions

USDA is also planning to add more cattle fever tick patrol officers and detector dogs to boost surveillance.  The Department launched a multi-million-dollar action plan last month, including new sterile fly production plants, after closing U.S. ports to cattle, bison and horse imports from Mexico.

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