The livestock sector is urged to follow guidelines to mitigate the risk of the screwworm.

The screwworm infestation that has created a health crisis in the livestock sector in Mexico can be controlled starting with dispersal of sterile flies artificially produced; but to mitigate these effects There must be a commitment with compliance sanitary measures by producers of all levels.

This was announced at a press conference by the director of Center for Studies on Food and the Climate Crisis (CEAACC) of the University Center of the Highlands (CUAltos)Dr. Edgar Pulido Chávez, who presented both the current context of the crisis regarding this insect, As the measures being taken at the national and binational levels to mitigate the threat, as well as the production and distribution specifications of the sterile fly.

He explained that this situation has worsened. due to two main reasons; on the one hand, the pause in the modernization process from the sterile fly production plant in Metapa, Chiapaswhich has been in operation for 30 years, generating a biological barrier of between 300 and 500 kilometers of the southern border between Mexico and Guatemala.

In this context, the federal government announced this week the reactivation of this plant, which will operate in the production and distribution of sterile flies via small planes in the infection hotspots most needed.

“I estimate that if we had a production of around ten million flies, perhaps per week, we would have a major breakthrough in pest control. “This amount would be divided among the regions with the highest presence of the pest,” he emphasized.

To further mitigate the threat of this fly, Pulido Chávez He called on small, medium, and large producers, to follow the guidelines issued by national and foreign organizations Regarding treatment measures and risk reduction strategies for the spread of the disease, and pointed out that it is also responsibility from the productive sector not to ignore these measures. 

According to the National Service for Agrifood Health, Safety and Quality (Senasica), which is in charge of the production and spread of the fly, it is necessary to continue generating This biological wall to maintain control at the border between Mexico and Guatemala, as well as the infection hotspots and prevent them from spreading to the Central and Western parts of the country. 

Pulido Chávez indicated that there is a binational commission that monitors the state of pest diseases in Central America, but that This organization has let its guard down, especially since the second half of Joe Biden's administration. 

Mechanisms of action of the fly and distribution 
 

Regarding the logistics strategy for distributing sterile flies, he explained that from a technical perspective The distribution of the insect should be based on criteria from the analysis of the most affected areas.as well as the country's livestock and fruit producing regions. 

“These decisions are made based on What is the value of production per state?"What is the economic impact on each entity? And from there, prioritize which states require attention first." 

Regarding the technical specifications for the release of the fly, he added that it is done through insect cooling methods for Take care of their wings and ensure they are in good condition when released, so that can be located in the infection hotspots. 

Regarding the losses that may be occurring since the arrival of the health crisis, the researcher explained that during this period Several factors have converged that have implications in the livestock and meat production sector, such as increase in grain and fertilizer prices due to the armed conflicts in Ukraine and the Strait of Hormuz in the Middle East, and that this complicates the real assessment of the economic impact resulting from the pause in the export of livestock. 

“Under this scenario, the loss of the Exports in Jalisco are estimated which could be from more than 2 billion pesos, since the crisis began. We can also see that countries like Brazil have increased their exportsand this has implications for the national demand for livestock. Because of this, there have been a drop in price "The price per kilo ranges from 10 to 12 pesos, up to 17 pesos for specialized breeds," Pulido Chávez noted.

Strategies of the livestock sector in response to the health crisis
 

Regarding the measures that the livestock sector has adopted to mitigate the decline in live cattle exports to the United States, Pulido Chávez acknowledged that there have been an increase in the slaughter of cattle intended to the production of export meat and that there are control protocols in national slaughterhouses that They guarantee the health of consumers.. 

“In the slaughterhouses there are two inspection processes to guarantee the safety of people. Uno antemortem, which verifies that the animals do not have any diseases. And another postmortem, which verifies that la carne meets the characteristics "Sanitary requirements for human consumption," the specialist emphasized. 

He recalled that both in Jalisco, as in entities of north like Nuevo León, They have certified slaughterhouses under TIF standards.which have the necessary standards to prevent the introduction of affected product. 

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Text: Ernesto Navarro López
Photography: Iván Lara González