Los Cabos suspended all entry of live cattle and livestock this week as part of a statewide effort to keep Baja California Sur free of screwworm, a parasitic pest now confirmed in 30 of Mexico’s 32 states.
The municipality’s Rural Development office announced the measure on August 19, citing instructions from SENASICA, the federal agricultural safety authority, and Sepada, the state agriculture secretariat. The suspension affects cattle, goats, sheep, pigs and horses — any animal brought into the municipality alive.
According to official notices, the measure remains in effect until further notice. During that period, Sepada will not issue permits for live animal entry. Meat supply will continue, but only as processed carcasses meeting federal sanitary standards.
Raúl Montaño Ojeda, municipal director of rural development, said the suspension is not punitive. It is preventive. The goal is to protect the region’s livestock herds and preserve Baja California Sur’s status as one of only two Mexican states still untouched by the New World screwworm, a larval parasite that infests open wounds in warm-blooded animals and can cause severe tissue damage, infections and death if left untreated.
The other screwworm-free state is Baja California. Everywhere else, from Sonora to Yucatán, has reported cases. Sonora confirmed its first detection last week in a cow near the town of Álamos, a ranching zone close to the Chihuahua border. That brought the national total to 30 affected states and 1,969 active cases, according to SENASICA data reported last week.
The screwworm outbreak has moved quickly. A month ago, Sonora was still considered clean. Now it is on the containment list, along with nearly every major livestock-producing region in the country.
For Los Cabos, that means the border is effectively closed to hoofed and four-legged traffic. Ranchers who move cattle or horses out of Baja Sur for shows, breeding or sale will not be allowed to bring them back until the suspension lifts. Producers, buyers, feedlot operators and livestock haulers have been told to coordinate with state sanitary officials and industry groups to avoid shipment delays or rejected loads.
The measure does not affect the local meat supply in a direct sense. Grocery stores, butcher shops and restaurants will continue receiving beef, pork and lamb — but only in the form of government-inspected carcasses shipped under controlled conditions. Live animal markets and on-site slaughter operations that rely on bringing animals in from other states will face restrictions.
Los Cabos officials say the policy is not intended to harm the livestock sector. It is intended to keep it viable. Losing screwworm-free status would trigger quarantines, export bans and expensive eradication programs — costs the municipality and state would rather avoid.
Baja California Sur has faced other challenges to its agricultural and tourism economy in recent years, including water shortages and climate pressures. Officials are treating the screwworm threat as a protective measure in the same category: something worth managing before it becomes a crisis.
The suspension remains in place indefinitely. Producers with questions about permits, carcass shipments or sanitary rules can contact the municipal Rural Development office or Sepada’s regional coordination office in La Paz.
