US to Reopen Douglas Cattle Border Crossing

The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to reopen the Arizona-Sonora border to cattle at the Douglas, Arizona port starting Monday, ending a period in which shipments were halted to guard against New World screwworm. The reopening applies specifically to the Douglas crossing, a key entry point for livestock moving from northern Mexico into U.S. feedlots. The change marks a shift from a blanket restriction to a more targeted, protocol-based system that allows trade to resume while maintaining disease controls. The move is described as a phased end to the earlier live-cattle ban tied to screwworm risk.

By focusing the restart at Douglas, authorities are prioritizing a port where new safeguards can be closely implemented and monitored. This approach is intended to balance the need for cross-border cattle flows with continued vigilance against the parasite. The controlled reopening creates a template that could inform how restrictions are adjusted at other crossings facing similar biosecurity concerns.

USDA has outlined a multilayered regime of safeguards that will govern resumed shipments through Douglas. These measures include enhanced surveillance of cattle for any signs of New World screwworm, as well as rapid diagnostic capacity to quickly assess suspicious cases. Pre-treatment processes will be applied weeks in advance of shipment to reduce the risk that infected animals enter the supply chain. In addition, there will be layered inspections both before departure and at the port of entry, supported by coordinated response protocols if potential infections are detected.

The combination of pre-export treatment, multiple inspection stages, and rapid testing is designed to create overlapping protections. Surveillance efforts are expected to extend beyond the port itself to include broader monitoring of livestock populations linked to the trade flows. Together, these steps aim to allow economically important cattle movements to proceed under strict biosecurity standards.

On the Mexican side of the border, officials in Sonora report releasing 360,000 sterile New World screwworm flies around a recently detected case as part of containment efforts. The sterile insect technique is a recognized tool to suppress parasite populations by reducing their ability to reproduce. Deployed near the detected case, the release is intended to help limit the spread of screwworm in areas supplying cattle to the United States. These actions complement the U.S. safeguards by targeting the parasite in its source environment.

Within the U.S. cattle sector, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association has expressed support for reopening the Douglas port under the new multi-stage inspection protocol. The group views the framework as a way to restore feeder cattle supplies from Mexico while maintaining protections against New World screwworm. Its backing signals that major industry stakeholders see the combined U.S. and Mexican measures as sufficient to manage the biosecurity risk while reestablishing cross-border cattle trade.