Canada has slammed the border shut to Texas cattle after a flesh-eating screwworm outbreak was detected in the state, dealing a fresh blow to already strained US trade relations. Sources confirm the Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued the ban late Tuesday, halting all imports of live cattle from Texas effective immediately. The move follows the discovery of New World screwworm larvae in a herd near the Rio Grande, the first such outbreak in the US in decades.
Documents obtained by this newsroom show the USDA had been warned of the risk months ago but failed to act. The screwworm, which burrows into living flesh and can kill an animal within days, has already infected at least a dozen cattle in Cameron County. Farmers fear the ban could spread to other states if the outbreak is not contained.
The White House has not commented, but trade officials are reportedly scrambling to contain the damage. For now, Texas ranchers face a gut punch: their cattle locked out of a key market, and no one in Washington taking responsibility.
