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Arizona cattle industry urges lawmakers to press USDA to reopen Sonora‑Arizona livestock crossings after screwworm closures
Summary
Cattle industry representatives told the International Trade Committee the U.S. closure of Mexican live‑cattle crossings since November 2024 has harmed Nogales and Arizona feed yards and urged state advocacy for a Sonora‑specific reopening, citing inspection protocols and economic estimates.
Industry representatives including Jordan Bell (CattleMex/T4 Ranch) and the Arizona Cattle Feeders Association told the Arizona House International Trade Committee that the closure of live‑cattle imports from Mexico has disrupted supply chains, increased prices and put feed yards and packing plants at risk.
"Ports first closed in November 2024, and they reopened briefly from February to May," Bell said, describing a prolonged closure tied to USDA action on New World screwworm. He told the committee that about 1.3 million cattle enter the U.S. annually from Mexico and that roughly 288,000 of those come from Sonora into Arizona in an average year.
Bell and other presenters gave conservative economic estimates: about $4.8 million in annual sales tax for Nogales, roughly $29 million for Arizona and about $274 million tied to Nogales port activity nationally; across Arizona ports he cited nearly $600 million annually connected to live cattle imports. They argued live‑animal imports create more domestic jobs than boxed beef imports and worried that prolonged port closures will force state feed yards and packing plants to close.
Speakers described safety protocols used in Sonora — mandatory RFID tags, veterinary inspections, ivermectin treatment and dipping — and said Sonora is free of tuberculosis and brucellosis. They asked lawmakers to advocate that USDA consider a state‑by‑state reopening and to treat Sonora differently from other Mexican states where screwworm activity has been detected.
Bassaha of the Arizona Cattle Feeders Association said Arizona used to be a top cattle‑feeding state and urged the USDA to reopen the border to Sonoran cattle, saying the state has packing infrastructure, inspection systems and demand to handle imports safely. No federal agency representative appeared to respond at the hearing, and committee members pledged to continue conversations and possible advocacy with Congress and federal officials.
The hearing ended with no formal votes; committee staff and members indicated interest in follow‑up advocacy and additional briefings.
