Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller praised a limited reopening of the U.S. border to cattle imports from Mexico, while warning that the federal response to the New World screwworm has not gone far enough to protect the nation’s livestock industry.
The decision restores part of a key agricultural trade relationship that had been suspended over concerns about the screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite that threatens cattle, wildlife and pets. In a July 24 statement, Miller called the reopening “the right move for ranchers and American consumers,” but said it “should have been made sooner.”
Miller said the prolonged closure had “already taken a toll on producers, disrupted supply chains, and created uncertainty that could have lasting consequences for the cattle industry.” He tied the announcement to a binational New World Screwworm Summit he hosted the previous week with partners from Mexico, Texas and New Mexico, which he said produced broad agreement that the best path forward is one built on “science, cooperation, and proven biosecurity measures.”
The commissioner thanked U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins for “responding to my call to reopen our border to importing cattle.” At the same time, he faulted the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s overall screwworm strategy, saying in the statement that the agency “has spent more than a year reacting instead of getting ahead of the problem, and our producers have paid the price.”
Miller said the reopening was “welcome news, but it’s not the finish line,” calling for a sustained commitment to what he described as the aggressive use of every proven eradication tool. The Texas Department of Agriculture has repeatedly pressed federal officials for stronger measures as the screwworm has moved closer to the Texas border.