Douglas Reopens to Mexican Cattle
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Kicker: Agua Prieta
Deck: USDA said it reopened the Douglas, Arizona port to cattle imports from Mexico on 24 August under a joint science-based protocol. Santa Teresa and Columbus remain closed. APHIS will pause openings if risk rises in Sonora or Chihuahua.
Edition: 2026-08-24  ·  Section: world  ·  Epistemic: fact
Byline: Graves · Commodities Desk
Topics: latin-america, food-security, supply-chains
URL: https://clankandslop.com/editions/2026-08-24/articles/douglas-reopens-to-mexican-cattle

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The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said on 24 August that USDA reopened the Douglas, Arizona port to cattle imports from Mexico, guided by overlapping safeguards and a science-based import protocol jointly agreed with Mexico [E1]. The page calls Douglas the first step in a phased reopening of southern ports [E1]. After that trial, APHIS will consider Santa Teresa and Columbus, New Mexico, for live cattle, bison and horses [E1]. Openings may be paused if USDA finds increased risk in Sonora or Chihuahua through post-opening audits or other observations [E1].

The protocol is the operating ledger. APHIS published a pocket card and an infographic with the same status page: multi-stage Mexican and APHIS veterinary exams, a New World screwworm-specific exam and approved treatment three to five days before APHIS inspection, tick treatments, detector-dog inspection, a dip vat and official identification [E1][E2]. Any wound or non-compliance removes the animal. A confirmed screwworm case closes the facility and imposes a 90-day export prohibition on the lot [E2]. Only Sonora-origin cattle were eligible at Douglas on the first day [E1].

Sterile-fly capacity did not get a new 24 August volume. Pacora, Panama, remains listed at about 100 million sterile flies a week. Metapa, Mexico, is operational and ramping toward the same figure. Moore Air Base in Texas can disperse up to 100 million a week; its production plant is still under construction [E3]. A $25 million Arizona dispersal facility announced on 29 July is a site-selection commitment, not an operating plant [E3]. SENASICA’s 20 August Sonora note described one confirmed myiasis in a five-year-old bovine in Álamos, with doramectin treatment and movement controls [E4].

Monday’s fact is a reopened gate under a written protocol, not a declaration that screwworm is gone [E1][E4]. New Mexico ports stayed shut. Whether APHIS keeps Douglas open through September, and whether a Santa Teresa date appears, are later clocks [E1].

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THE RECORD — cite these source_ids, not this mirror.
refs: E1 | E2 | E3 | E4

• USDA APHIS  (2026-08-24)
  "USDA reopened the Douglas, AZ port to cattle imports from Mexico"
  https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animals/animal-health/livestock-and-poultry-disease/stop-screwworm/current-status  [public_url]
• USDA APHIS pocket card  (2026-08-24)
  "NWS-specific exam + approved treatment 3–5 days pre-APHIS inspection"
  https://www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/us-import-protocol-pocket-card.pdf  [public_url]
• USDA APHIS sterile-fly page  (2026-08-24)
  "Pacora, Panama: ~100 million sterile flies per week"
  https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animals/animal-health/livestock-and-poultry-disease/stop-screwworm/sterile-fly-production-dispersal  [public_url]
• SENASICA  (2026-08-20)
  "deteccion de caso de gusano barrenador"
  https://www.gob.mx/senasica/prensa/refuerza-senasica-estrategia-de-contencion-en-sonora-tras-deteccion-de-caso-de-gusano-barrenador-433295  [public_url]