MEXICO REFUSES TO 'SUBORDINATE' TO US CATTLE IMPORT THREAT, SAYS AGRICULTURE MINISTER

MEXICO CITY, April 28 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- Mexico's Agriculture Minister Julio Berdegue said on Sunday that the country will not "subordinate" itself to US demands regarding the potential suspension of Mexican cattle imports over concerns about the screwworm pest, Xinhua reported.

Touring southeastern Mexico with President Claudia Sheinbaum, Berdegue responded to a letter from US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who warned that without a resolution, the United States would begin restricting cattle imports from Mexico starting April 30. Rollins also requested full authorisation for US contractor aircraft to conduct eradication operations.

"I have responded directly to Secretary Rollins' letter regarding the screwworm issue," Berdegue posted on social media. "We collaborate and cooperate, but we never subordinate ourselves."

The screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax) is a parasitic fly species native to the Americas, whose larvae feed on the living tissue of warm-blooded animals, including humans, according to the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO).

Earlier this month, Mexican health authorities confirmed that the country's first human case of myiasis caused by the screwworm, involving a 77-year-old woman in Chiapas state.

Human myiasis tends to occur in rural populations, particularly in areas where fly populations thrive due to the presence of domestic animals, PAHO noted.  

-- BERNAMA-XINHUA