Mexico's Agriculture Minister Julio Berdegué is set to travel to Washington next week to meet with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, seeking to reopen the U.S. border to Mexican cattle following a screwworm outbreak that halted livestock shipments since May.

President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed the visit during a press conference, expressing hope that Berdegué will "return with an agreement." The talks come at a critical time for both countries' livestock sectors, which are navigating biosecurity risks, supply chain strain, and price volatility.

The screwworm parasite, a flesh-eating pest deadly to livestock, has spread northward through Central America and into Mexico since late 2024. Mexico recently confirmed cases in Nuevo León, near the U.S. border, but claimed the outbreak has been "contained and resolved."

U.S. officials have been less confident. Rollins has publicly criticized Mexico's handling of the screwworm crisis, citing gaps in surveillance and animal movement controls. Until confidence is restored in Mexico's response, Washington has kept the cattle import ban in place as a precautionary biosecurity measure.

The stakes are high. Mexico is a major supplier of feeder cattle to the U.S., especially for finishing operations in Texas and New Mexico. The ban has disrupted supply chains, raised input costs for U.S. ranchers, and complicated efforts to rebuild America's cattle herd, which has shrunk dramatically due to drought and low margins.

Meanwhile, political tensions are rising. The Trump administration this week announced plans to quadruple low-tariff imports of Argentine beef, aiming to drive down retail beef prices. That decision has angered U.S. ranchers, who argue it undercuts domestic producers while they're under pressure to expand herds and cut prices.

The Mexican cattle issue adds another layer of complexity. While U.S. ranchers remain wary of disease risk, many also depend on cross-border cattle flows to maintain operations. Industry groups on both sides are urging a science-based agreement that protects livestock health without stifling trade.

A potential deal would likely include enhanced quarantine protocols, pre-export inspections, and real-time reporting systems to monitor parasite containment. Whether these measures will satisfy U.S. regulators remains to be seen.

The outcome of next week's talks could reshape cattle trade between North America's two largest beef producers and signal how future animal disease outbreaks will be managed across borders. For now, the livestock sector is watchiand waiting.