Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins has stopped live cattle, horse, and bison imports from Mexico. It's a response to the rapid spread of the New World Screwworm virus.
Secretary Rollins says it's in the interest of national security and if eradication works, America will reopen the border to livestock trade. The first case of NWS in Mexico was last November.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association supports USDA’s decision to close the southern U.S. border to livestock. NCBA CEO Colin Woodall says they've been sounding the alarm for months, and it’s unfortunate that the Mexican government stood in the way by using bureaucratic hurdles that increased its spread.
The screwworm is a flesh-eating parasitic fly that can infest in livestock and humans.
Here's John Jenkinson's Ag Minute: