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Agriculture, Meat, Livestock
July 03, 2025
HIGHLIGHTS
May imports from Mexico fall 64% on month
New health protocols limit cattle crossing to US
Major port reopenings being phased in starting July 7
US live animal imports from Mexico during May slid 64% from the previous month and 76% from May 2024 to 31,969 head, the US Department of Agriculture said on its Global Agricultural Trade System Online July 3.
US live animal imports from Mexico have been restricted due to the New World screwworm outbreak in southern Mexico.
The first full US border closure to Mexican livestock imports occurred in December after an NWS outbreak in southern Mexico. The border reopened in late January under increased enforcement measures. The US-Mexico border closed again to live cattle movement May 11, but it will start reopening July 7 under a phased reopening of select southern border ports. The USDA announced the reopening program June 30. It will be based on the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's continuous evaluation.
The main southern port, Douglas, Arizona, will be the first to reopen July 7, followed by Columbus, New Mexico, on July 17; Santa Teresa, New Mexico, on July 21; Del Rio, Texas, on Aug. 18; and then Laredo, Texas, to end the phased program Sept. 15.
"With the new health protocols for export, only half of the animals that used to cross the border last year will cross now to the US," a cattleman from Mexico said. "There's a pre-quarantine, and then a quarantine, but the problem is that there are not enough APHIS vets to inspect livestock from Mexico."
"The eradication of the NWS is not an easy task in Mexico," the cattleman said. "So, the opening of the five ports announced is possible, but not very likely, in my opinion."
"There are no cattle stocks in Mexico either. [The main feeder in Mexico] is importing feeder cattle from Nicaragua. But there is a drought in Mexico, and cattlemen need to get cattle out of the pastures, so they need to export cattle."
Caleb Hurst, beef market analyst for S&P Global Commodity Insights, said: "We still believe that cattle entering the US from Mexico will be more of a trickle in comparison to last year, with overall supply available to import from Mexico in question. Additionally, with the ports being opened in a staggered start, it will be August and September before we see two of the major ports in Texas come online, and it's likely that none of the ports will start at more than 50% of the five-year average."
"There are also additional limitations with cattle needing to be born and raised in Sonora or Chihuahua or meet the USDA quarantine and insecticide use protocols, and there is added threat of the ports closing again later on if NWS continues to spread," Hurst added. "Our outlook for best-case scenario would be ending the year 500,000-600,000 below year-ago levels, and a worst-case scenario would be closer to 800,0000-900,000 head below last year."
"This doesn't change our cattle on-feed expectations by much but would further add to the already historically tight availability for placements as we finish out 2025 and move into 2026."
Of the total cattle entering US feedlot placements, 4% to 7% are of Mexican origin, according to data from the USDA, so those placements are at record low levels.
The low pace of cattle placements in the US has led to low cattle on feed numbers and to a lack of trimming supplies, supporting lean beef trimmings import volumes and values.
Platts, part of S&P Global Commodity Insights, assessed the price of 90CL beef CIF US at $6,680/mt, or $3.03/lb, for the 30-60 day shipment period July 3, unchanged form the previous assessment day over day and week over week, but up $595, or 10%, year over year.