La Jornada: Cattle port will reopen in New Mexico

Washington. The head of the United States Department of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, declared Wednesday that they are preparing to reopen a New Mexico port to livestock trade next week, after its closure due to the presence of the screwworm.

The official spoke at the conference of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, held in Portland (Maine), where she announced that she planned to travel to New Mexico last night.

In late August, the United States Department of Agriculture resumed cross-border livestock trade with Mexico following the gradual reopening of ports that began in Douglas, Arizona, after months of closure due to concerns about the spread of the screwworm parasite.

According to the agency, there are currently two active cases of larval infestation, both in Texas: one in a horse and one in a dog.

“What you have all demonstrated over the last 20 days in Douglas is that this is manageable and doable, and as soon as we believe there is another threat, we will close it again.”