WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is intensifying its economic and biosecurity engagement with Mexico, unveiling the largest agribusiness trade mission in its history while launching a new frontline facility to combat the spread of the destructive New World screwworm.
Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins led the dual-track effort earlier this month in Mexico City, where she hosted the record-setting trade mission and met with Mexican officials on joint animal-health and water-treaty responsibilities. USDA also announced the opening of a sterile fly dispersal facility in Tampico, a major expansion of its strategy to stop the screwworm’s advance toward the U.S. border.
Historic Trade Mission Draws 150 Participants and 500 Business Meetings
The mission brought together 41 U.S. companies, 33 cooperators and advocacy groups, six state agriculture departments, and a total of 150 participants. Over the course of three days, American and Mexican agribusinesses conducted more than 500 business-to-business meetings aimed at expanding U.S. agricultural exports and strengthening commercial partnerships.
Rollins said President Trump has directed USDA to prioritize both economic opportunity and cross-border cooperation in areas that affect the farm economy.
“The trading and diplomatic relationship between our two countries is of the utmost importance to President Trump and American farmers and ranchers,” she said. Rollins thanked Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum for hosting discussions on the screwworm outbreak and Mexico’s obligations under the 1944 Water Treaty. She also highlighted efforts to expand U.S. access to Mexico’s ethanol market and prepare for the forthcoming review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
While in Mexico City, Rollins and senior USDA officials visited major importers of U.S. products, including a Walmart Super Center and Grupo Bimbo, which purchased nearly $400 million in U.S. ingredients in 2024.
Mexico remains the top foreign market for American agricultural goods, importing $30.2 billion in 2024.
USDA Opens Sterile Fly Facility in Tampico to Intensify Screwworm Defense
In a separate announcement, USDA confirmed the opening of a new sterile fly dispersal facility in Tampico, marking a major expansion of aerial operations to contain the New World screwworm (NWS). The parasitic pest poses severe risks to livestock, with outbreaks in Mexico prompting aggressive joint action from both countries.
“The opening of the Tampico facility is another incredibly important tool in our arsenal to stop the spread of screwworm,” Rollins said. She noted that the center will improve USDA’s ability to deploy sterile flies rapidly across northern Mexico, especially in areas unreachable from the ground.
USDA currently releases approximately 100 million sterile flies each week in Mexico. Until now, aerial missions were limited to southern regions, forcing reliance on slower ground-based release chambers in northern states such as Nuevo León.
Recent detections in that region — two cases in cattle transported from Chiapas — remain inactive, and no additional flies have been found in traps. Should new cases emerge, the Tampico facility will allow USDA to respond immediately.
Joint U.S.–Mexico Operations Expanding Through 2026
USDA produces sterile flies at its COPEG facility in Panama and is investing $21 million to help Mexico renovate a facility in Metapa that will double production. New U.S. infrastructure is also underway:
- A sterile fly dispersal facility under construction at Moore Air Base in Edinburg, Texas, opening in early 2026.
- A forthcoming sterile fly production facility in southern Texas with a targeted capacity of 300 million flies per week.
The United States continues to work closely with Mexico’s agriculture authority, SENASICA, on trapping, surveillance, and movement protocols to prevent northward spread.
A Dual Mission: Trade Expansion and Biosecurity Protection
Taken together, USDA’s two major initiatives reflect an increasingly integrated strategy: expanding opportunities for U.S. producers in one of America’s most important markets, while reinforcing the biosecurity systems that protect livestock and the national food supply.
As Rollins put it, the goal is simple: open doors for American exports and protect the farm economy from threats moving north.
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