According to reports, the US Department of Agriculture has given Mexico a warning that it will stop all live animal imports if Mexico does not take stronger actions to prevent a flesh-eating parasite from moving further north.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins sent a strong letter to her Mexican counterpart, stating that if Mexico does not step up efforts to control the spread of New World screwworm by April 30, the US will block the import of live cattle, bison, and horses, as per Fox News.

The letter expressed concern about the collaboration between the two countries in combating this pest, indicating a crucial moment in their joint efforts against the parasite.

“The outbreak in southern Mexico continues to expand, and every day that passes without full deployment of sterile insect technique (SIT) operations represents a lost opportunity to contain this pest and prevent its spread beyond the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.”

The screwworm primarily targets the periphery of fresh wounds in warm-blooded animals — as well as birds, deer and humans — where it deposits hundreds of eggs that hatch into flesh-eating maggots, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Upon hatching, the larvae can infest the bloodstream, causing an extremely painful condition called myiasis, and consume their host from the inside out.

Rollins signaled that Mexican customs officials have imposed costly import duties on critical supplies, including sterile flies, aviation parts and dispersal equipment, with aviation authorities also limiting crucial operations necessary to prevent the lurking pest from advancing across the border.

“We do not understand how our official efforts to stop a common pest can be subject to such burdensome customs duties,” she pressed in her letter to Mexico’s Agriculture Secretary Julio Berdegué Sacristán.

“These delays and costs not only disrupt operations but risk delaying aircraft deployment at the precise moment when rapid actions is needed most.”

She urged Mexico’s government to provide immediate operational aviation clearance, full duty waivers on all emergency equipment and an install a high-level liaison expedite solutions.

Rollins cautioned that “time is of the essence.”

“Every delay in granting full operational authority and elimination custom barriers undermines our collective ability to carry out this emergency response. We cannot afford to continue operating at partial strength,” Rollins said.

“I must inform you that if these issues are not resolved by Wednesday, April 30, USDA will restrict the importation of animal commodities, which consist of live cattle, bison, and equine originating from or transporting to Mexico to protect the interest of the agriculture industry in the United States.”