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Mexico’s Screwworm Crisis Hits 97 Human Cases as Cattle Export Halt Tops $700 Million in Losses

U.S. reopening hinges on a sterile-fly plant that Mexico is moving to build.

Overview

  • Health officials report 97 human myiasis cases this year, with new confirmations in Quintana Roo and most infections concentrated in Chiapas at roughly 86%.
  • The USDA’s suspension of live-cattle imports stopped about 1.186 million head, and CNOG estimates around 1.2 million were not exported, driving losses beyond $700 million.
  • CNOG has documented more than 11,000 animal infestations centered in the south, and at least 425,000 cattle are idled in northern states as trade remains restricted.
  • Mexico says it will speed construction of a sterile-fly production plant in Chiapas targeted for the first half of 2026, while a U.S. facility is planned in southern Texas.
  • Comecarne warns that 2026 meat prices will face added pressure from the outbreak, tightened U.S. inspections and the end of Mexico’s anti-inflation import relief for key proteins.