Julio Berdegué, Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development, and representatives of the United States Department of Agriculture signed the protocol to resume the export of cattle on the hoof, after it was suspended due to the detection of a case of cattle screwworm (GBG) in Catazajá, Chiapas, on November 21, in an animal from Central America.
On his X account, formerly Twitter, the federal official explained that the protocol will guarantee that the animals are free of the screwworm and thanked the employees of the National Service for Health, Safety and Food Quality (Senasica), as well as the United States, for reaching the agreement in record time.
“I am pleased to report that today the protocol was signed with the United States Department of Agriculture, which allows us to resume cattle exports, complying with measures that ensure that the animals are free of the screwworm.
“I thank the public servants of @SENASICA, thanks to whose professionalism and seriousness it was possible to achieve this objective in record time. I also thank our partners at @Usda,” he wrote on the social network.
In a statement, the agency detailed that as part of the protocol, personnel from Senasica and USDA will inspect the cattle that are intended to be exported to the United States, to certify that they comply with the sanitary conditions that were agreed upon.
What is the screwworm?
The screwworm of cattle, also called Cochliomyia hominivorax, is a pest that has existed in the American continent for centuries, however, only a few decades ago the advance of science and technology has allowed us to study it better because it is very harmful to livestock production.
According to the World Organization for Animal Health, this larva affects not only cattle, but also pigs, sheep, horses, wild animals, pets and even humans, revealing a wide and worrying scope.
The parasite mainly lives in warm climate regions of America and Africa, as it favors their reproduction. These small insects, which resemble bees, lay their eggs in wounds present in cattle.
The larvae make their way through the animal’s skin and migrate to its internal tissues, including muscles and organs. This process can trigger various health problems in cattle such as inflammation, infections and tissue damage until they form holes that later become sources of infection.
The presence of this worm can drastically affect meat and milk production, causing significant economic losses for farmers.
Source: infobae
