Canada has slammed the border shut to Texas cattle, a move that exposes the deepening crisis of a flesh-eating screwworm outbreak. Sources confirm the decision came after a USDA alert confirmed screwworm infestations in cattle south of the border. The ban, effective immediately, halts all livestock imports from the Lone Star State. But this is not just a farming story. This is a trade story. And it stinks of panic in Whitehall.
Documents obtained by this newsroom show UK trade officials have been scrambling to assess the fallout. The UK, eager to sign a free trade agreement with the US, now faces the grim prospect of American beef contaminated with parasitic maggots. Screwworm larvae burrow into living tissue, causing fatal infections. A single infested carcass at a UK port could trigger a full-scale agricultural emergency.
The ban underscores the fragility of global supply chains. Texas is the biggest cattle producer in the US, and Canada is its second-largest export market. The closure will hit ranchers hard, but the real target is the US Department of Agriculture’s credibility. Sources say the USDA knew about the outbreak weeks ago but hesitated to act. Now Canada has called their bluff.
Meanwhile, the UK’s Trade Secretary faced hostile questions in Parliament. Labour MPs demanded assurances that US beef imports will be screened for screwworm. The minister waffled. He said the UK would 'monitor the situation closely'. That is not a plan. That is a prayer.
This outbreak threatens to derail a trade deal the UK desperately needs. Brexit freed Britain from EU food standards, but at what cost? The same deregulatory impulse that made the US deal possible now exposes UK consumers to risks they never faced under Brussels. The irony is lost on no one.
Farmers on both sides of the Atlantic are incandescent. Texas ranchers face ruin. Canadian dairy farmers worry about cross-contamination. And UK beef producers see a chance to block American competition. They are all screaming for clear guidelines. Instead, they get silence and shifting goalposts.
This is a story about power and accountability. The screwworm is a biological threat, but the real disease is institutional paralysis. Canada acted because it had to. The UK waits because it cannot afford to offend Washington. And the USDA... well, we are still waiting for a full accounting.
We have tracked money and mismanagement in the livestock industry for years. This outbreak was not an act of God. It was a failure of oversight. Budget cuts to border inspections, lax enforcement of import rules, and a culture of secrecy all contributed. The only question is how many more bans will follow before someone pays the price.
