NP News Alert | May 30

LAS CRUSAS –  Livestock will soon be allowed to cross the U.S.-Mexico border once again at the Columbus Port of Entry in New Mexico, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced.

The announcement reverses USDA’s decision in March, which restricted its veterinarians from traveling into Mexico.  That decision effectively halted the livestock crossings at Columbus because before livestock are allowed to cross into the U.S., they must first be inspected by a USDA veterinarian to ensure they are disease-free.

USDA officials said that under a new arrangement, the USDA veterinarian will now work in a safer facility.

“A re-opening of the crossing is great news for Luna County and the state of New Mexico, which benefit when the cross-border livestock trade is alive and well,” said Jeff Witte, Secretary of New Mexico Agriculture.

Earlier this month, Governor Susana Martinez authored a letter to the Obama administration expressing concern about the closure of the livestock border crossing between the towns of Columbus, N.M., and Palomas, Mexico.

“The crossing at Columbus represents an important point of commerce between Mexico and the United States – an economic benefit not just to the people in that immediate area, but a thoroughfare for livestock distributed to industry throughout the United States for almost 70 years,” Governor Martinez said in her letter.

Cattle-feeding facilities in the U.S. often purchase “feeder” cattle from Mexico to add to their herds, while U.S. ranchers often sell their breeding stock into Mexico.