SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — Consumers should brace for rising meat prices in the coming weeks as beef availability from Mexico faces constraints due to ongoing screw-worm restrictions affecting Mexican cattle.

Jesús Brígido Coronel, the president of Mexico’s Beef Producers Association, reports that restrictions imposed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture have caused significant financial losses, with the Mexican cattle industry losing between $25 million and $30 million each month.

“For the industry that exports meat, there have been losses that can’t be made up by selling the beef here,” he said.

He further mentioned that all association members are adhering to regulations to stop the spread of the screwworm disease into the U.S. by attempting to eliminate the parasite in Mexico.

Brígido Coronel noted that meat prices have risen by 20 percent due to restrictions on Mexican cattle, which have limited the number of livestock permitted to cross the border. He anticipates continued price increases, making it more costly for U.S. consumers to purchase meat.

Back in November, the USDA stopped cattle imports after the parasite was found in southern Mexico. 

The ban was lifted temporarily, but was reinstated due to the pest’s continued spread and northward movement. 

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has once more halted Mexican cattle imports to the United States, citing renewed concerns over New World screwworm infestation.

“I have ordered an immediate shutdown of live cattle, bison, and horse trade through the southern U.S.–Mexico border. This decisive action comes after Mexico confirmed another case of New World Screwworm in Veracruz,” Rollins stated in a Wednesday evening message on X. The U.S. Agriculture Department “remains vigilant to ensure the protection of America’s livestock and food supply.”

Rollins has said she wants to see additional progress from Mexico in combatting the screwworm in Veracruz and other Mexican states.

“We are pausing the planned port reopening to further quarantine and target this deadly pest in Mexico. We must see additional progress […] in order to reopen livestock ports along the Southwest border,” she added.

Screwworms can be deadly for cattle and other animals because their larvae dig into an animal’s open sore, causing large wounds and potentially fatal infections.

The screwworms are different because their larvae attacks healthy tissue unlike other maggots that consume dead matter.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has called the U.S. decision to pause Mexican livestock imports “totally exaggerated.”