After the export of live cattle to the United States was halted due to the screwworm health emergency, ranchers have stopped selling 1.7 million head of cattle since May 2025, resulting in a surplus of 560,000 tons of meat.
The National Confederation of Livestock Organizations (CNOG) requested the urgent intervention of the federal government, because the closure of livestock exports to the United States has already caused a surplus of almost 500,000 tons of meat, resulting in a reduction in livestock prices without any benefit to the consumer.
The agency headed by Homero García de la Llata stated that animals that are not exported remain in the national production chain to be processed, without any benefit to the producer or the national market, so it is urgent to resume negotiations with the United States for the reopening of bovine shipments.
“You can currently absorb the costs arising from the business closure, the health emergency, the increase in local supply and meat imports,” he said.
After the export of live cattle to the United States was halted, motivated by the screwworm health emergency, ranchers have stopped selling 1.7 million head of cattle since May 2025, resulting in a surplus of 560,000 tons of meat.
Of this total (560,000 tons of meat), only 100,000 tons are exported, but when including external purchases of 28,000 tons, the surplus remains at 488,000 tons of meat. Therefore, the decrease in cattle prices in Mexico affects the profitability of small and medium-sized producers in the country.
The CNOG stated that the reduction in the value of raw materials has not been reflected in the same proportion in the price of beef distributed to consumers.
In response, ranchers demanded that the federal government resume negotiations with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to gradually and regionally restore cattle exports, taking into account the detection of screwworm in U.S. territory.
The CNOG also demanded increased surveillance at the southern border to regulate the entry of Central American cattle through legal channels. Meanwhile, it urged a halt to additional beef imports from Brazil, maintaining the existing quota without expansion, respecting previously issued allocations, and not creating new extraordinary import mechanisms while the current oversupply of cattle persists in the domestic market.
The livestock organization urgently needs to expedite the transfer of animals by simplifying procedures and reducing costs for certification and screwworm treatment services.
As well as implementing the Meat Classification Standard to facilitate the export of high-value cuts and improve the economic perception of the national livestock farmer.
