Mexico City, Mexico — President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo announced the resumption of the export of live cattle from Agua Prieta to the United States. She reported an initial shipment of 750 head on August 24.
“The border in Sonora opened for cattle,” she announced adding that the export will gradually increase to 1,500.
From Agua Prieta, Sonora, the Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development, Columba López Gutiérrez, highlighted that the reopening is the result of coordinated work between state and US authorities, as well as livestock associations and unions.
He explained that the Mexican government will maintain the entire traceability system from birth until the cattle are placed in the United States. In addition, the spread of screwworm flies will be monitored in Chihuahua and Sonora, and security controls will be enforced within a 200-kilometer (km) perimeter.
Furthermore, brigades will be deployed to conduct sanitary sweeps and ongoing inspections of livestock facilities.
The Governor of Sonora, Alfonso Durazo Montaño, thanked Sheinbaum for her efforts in reopening the border for the benefit of Sonora’s agricultural sector, which, he noted, has a historic level of recognition for its sanitary standards.
Furthermore, he celebrated that primary production in the state will be given added value through the Comprehensive Livestock Center (CIG) in Hermosillo, Sonora.
The President of the Livestock Union, Juan Carlos Ochoa Valenzuela, thanked the Mexican government for its support in resuming livestock exports and reiterated the Livestock Union’s commitment to maintaining sanitary standards and productive reconversion for export.
