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Straits Times
4 days ago
- Health
- Straits Times
Mexican ranchers hit by flesh-eating screwworm want action on cattle smuggling
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: A veterinarian handles screwworms amid a growing outbreak of flesh-eating screwworms that threatens livestock and wildlife across the Chiapas state region, in Tapachula, Mexico July 4, 2025. REUTERS/Daniel Becerril/File Photo TAPACHULA, Mexico - On a scorching afternoon in the rural heartland outside Mexico's southern city of Tapachula near the Guatemala border, rancher Julio Herrera calls his herd back from an afternoon of grazing. "Gate! Gate!" he hollers as the cows turn the corner from the pasture and trot instinctively to their corral. He runs his hands under their hooves, feeling for wounds through which the deadly screwworm parasite could burrow inside their bodies. Efforts to protect his herd can only go so far, he says, until Mexico's government steps up to tackle what he considers the core issue: illegal livestock moving unchecked across the border from Central America. Maggots from screwworm flies burrow into the flesh of living animals, causing serious damage. While it can often be fatal, infected animals can be treated by removing larvae and applying medications, if it is detected early enough. The infestation, which began in November, has now claimed its first human casualty: an 86-year-old woman with advanced cancer and complications from a screwworm infection who died in the state of Campeche in late July. While infections are rarer (and treatable) in humans, Mexico confirmed more than 30 cases in people in the last week of July. "From Guatemala there is indiscriminate passage of stolen cattle, sick cattle. There is no health control," Herrera told Reuters. "We, the producers, are the ones who suffer." Estimates cited by Mexican authorities in 2022 and others by sector experts indicate the number of illegal cattle crossing into Mexico is at least 800,000 per year. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Ong Beng Seng fined $30k in case linked to ex-minister Iswaran after judge cites judicial mercy Asia Sun Haiyan, ex-China ambassador to S'pore, detained for questioning: Sources Life Online travel agencies Klook and make debut at Natas Travel Fair Singapore Jail for drink-driving cop in hit-and-run accident, victim suffered multiple fractures Life How do household bomb shelters in Singapore really work? Life Blank canvas: JTC offers black-and-white bungalows for lease at Rochester Park Organized crime groups have long been linked to the theft and trafficking of livestock, which enables them to tap a lucrative market and extort money along the way. The animals may come from Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua or other Central American countries. They enter Mexico with black market ear tags and falsified documents. CLOSED BORDER Local veterinarians in Chiapas, slaughterhouse professionals and producers said the illegal crossings were a major factor in the outbreak. These animals bypass government checkpoints, sanitary inspections and taxes, and are then sold to meat companies or larger cattle producers. While local government officials in Chiapas acknowledged the illegal trade, they said it was being handled by the federal government - and was not the main factor in the spread of screwworm. Instead, they blamed the unchecked movement of the screwworm fly and a failure to report cases and seek treatment. Mexico's Ministry of Agriculture did not respond to questions about measures to stop illegal livestock at the southern border, but pointed to past statements on efforts to reduce counterfeit and unauthorized ear tags. The U.S. has kept its border mostly closed to Mexican cattle since May because of the outbreak, dealing a heavy blow to an industry that exports approximately a billion dollars' worth of cattle to the U.S. annually, and contributing to high beef prices in the U.S. The outbreak is costing the Mexican meat industry an estimated $25 million to $30 million a month, according to the Mexican Association of Meat Producers (AMEG). Three ranchers told Reuters they are increasingly angry over the government's lack of control at the southern border. In July, Mexico's National Confederation of Livestock Organizations called on the government to redouble efforts to control illegal crossings. "It's a business," said Jorge Ortiz of the Tapachula municipal slaughterhouse and a local pig farmer, about illegal livestock. "It needs a lot of attention to be able to control this problem... and where that should come from is the federal government." The outbreak is bringing fresh trade tensions to the U.S.-Mexico trade relationship as Mexico has three months to negotiate a trade deal with the U.S. or face increased tariffs. Mexico's federal government is working on a $51 million plant in Chiapas to breed sterile screwworm flies, with the help of $21 million from the U.S., though it is not expected to begin operating until 2026. DISPELLING MYTHS Officials have said that infected animals will not be slaughtered. A few screwworm-detecting dogs have been deployed to a Chiapas livestock border crossing and training sessions and free care, such as de-worming products, are offered to producers who report infected animals. Chiapas state Agriculture Secretary Marco Barba said local efforts are focused on awareness and prevention. Signs are posted around towns with slogans such as "Without wounds, there's no worms." Authorities are also trying to dispel myths about contaminated meat, Barba said, adding that consumption has dropped in the state. Officials have said that screwworm infections are not transmitted through the consumption of meat. Livestock producers hesitate to report screwworm cases because they fear officials could shut down their business or slaughter their animals, said Carlos Mahr, president of the Livestock Union of Chiapas. At Mahr's ranch outside Tuxtla Gutierrez, a worker lassos a young cow. The animal bucks as it is guided over to Mahr, who is waiting with an aerosol can of disinfectant used to clean the wound left from removing the animal's horns. Infected animals can be easily treated, Mahr said. "There should be no fear or worry," he said. "Reporting is important to have a generalized map of where the worm is found." It is vital for the country's cattle producers that the border with the U.S. reopens, Barba said, and his government has been working to show USDA officials that there's progress. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has said the U.S. is working more closely with Mexico than ever before and that the USDA team was "staffing up in the hundreds" to get into Mexico to verify the data the country was providing. The resources, though, haven't trickled down to everyone. Alfonso Lopez, a livestock veterinarian in Tapachula, said he sees cases every day, on several ranches. "Right now, it's a very serious situation," Lopez said from his office, where he had a fresh sample of screwworms collected from a newborn calf earlier that day. "What the federal government is doing, which isn't enough, is sending personnel to address the cases, but Chiapas isn't just highways... it has mountains and valleys, and so the fly isn't going to travel only on the roads. It's insufficient," Lopez said. While controlling screwworm in livestock is the main priority, Herrera, the rancher in Tapachula, noted that the pest can infect any warm-blooded animal. "What happens with the coyotes, the stray dogs... the deer, the jaguar?" Herrera said. REUTERS
Straits Times
31-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Trump gives Mexico 90-day tariff reprieve as deadline for higher duties looms
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: A drone view shows a vessel docked during a day of commercial activity at the port of Manzanillo, in Manzanillo, Mexico, December 14, 2023. REUTERS/Daniel Becerril/File Photo U.S. President Donald Trump gave Mexico a 90-day reprieve from higher tariffs to negotiate a broader trade deal but was expected to issue higher final duty rates for most other countries as the clock wound down on his Friday deal deadline. The extension, which avoids a 30% tariff on most Mexican non-automotive and non-metal goods compliant with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade, came after a Thursday morning call between Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. "We avoided the tariff increase announced for tomorrow," Sheinbaum wrote in an X social media post, adding that the Trump call was "very good." Approximately 85% of Mexican exports comply with the rules of origin outlined in the USMCA, shielding them from 25% tariffs related to fentanyl, according to Mexico's economy ministry. Trump said that the U.S. would continue to levy a 50% tariff on Mexican steel, aluminum and copper and a 25% tariff on Mexican autos and on non-USMCA-compliant goods subject to tariffs related to the U.S. fentanyl crisis. "Additionally, Mexico has agreed to immediately terminate its Non Tariff Trade Barriers, of which there were many," Trump said in a Truth Social post without providing details. Trump is expected to issue tariff rate proclamations later on Thursday for countries that have not struck trade deals by a 12:01 a.m. EDT (0401 GMT) deadline. South Korea agreed on Wednesday to accept a 15% tariff on its exports to the U.S., including autos, down from a threatened 25%, as part of a deal that includes a pledge to invest $350 billion in U.S. projects to be chosen by Trump. But goods from India appeared to be headed for a 25% tariff after talks bogged down over access to India's agriculture sector, drawing a higher-rate threat from Trump that also included an unspecified penalty for India's purchases of Russian oil. Although negotiations with India were continuing, New Delhi vowed to protect the country's labor-intensive farm sector, triggering outrage from the opposition party and a slump in the rupee. TOUGH QUESTIONS FROM JUDGES Trump hit Brazil on Wednesday with a steep 50% tariff as he escalated his fight with Latin America's largest economy over its prosecution of his friend and former President Jair Bolsonaro, but softened the blow by excluding sectors such as aircraft, energy and orange juice from heavier levies. The run-up to Trump's tariff deadline was unfolding as federal appeals court judges sharply questioned Trump's use of a sweeping emergency powers law to justify his sweeping tariffs of up to 50% on nearly all trading invoked the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act to declare an emergency over the growing U.S. trade deficit and impose his "reciprocal" tariffs and a separate fentanyl emergency. The Court of International Trade ruled in May that the actions exceeded his executive authority, and questions from judges during oral arguments before the U.S. Appeals Court for the Federal Circuit in Washington indicated further skepticism. "IEEPA doesn't even say tariffs, doesn't even mention them," Judge Jimmie Reyna said at one point during the hearing. CHINA DEAL NOT DONE U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the United States believes it has the makings of a trade deal with China, but it is "not 100% done," and still needs Trump's approval. U.S. negotiators "pushed back quite a bit" over two days of trade talks with the Chinese in Stockholm this week, Bessent said in an interview with CNBC. China is facing an August 12 deadline to reach a durable tariff agreement with Trump's administration, after Beijing and Washington reached preliminary deals in May and June to end escalating tit-for-tat tariffs and a cut-off of rare earth minerals. REUTERS
The Guardian
11-07-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Week in wildlife: a flying vole, a Wimbledon wagtail and some lovebugs
Grey foxes in the Sumidero Canyon nature reserve, Chiapas, southern Mexico. Slightly smaller than the red foxes common to the UK, the grey fox has shorter limbs and pupils that are oval rather than slit-shaped Photograph: Daniel Becerril/Reuters A vet bottle-feeds an orphaned brown bear cub at the Ovakorusu Celal Acar wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centre in Bursa, Turkey Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images Dinner for two … a rose chafer beetle shares a dahlia flower with a bee on a sunny afternoon at Greys Court in Henley-on-Thames, UK Photograph: Geoffrey Swaine/Shutterstock On your marks, get set … ducks line up by the lake at the Luiz de Queiroz college of agriculture, University of São Paulo, Brazil Photograph: Zuma Press/Alamy Live News Volunteers pour water over a tortoise rescued from a burned forest area in Buca, İzmir, Turkey. Almost 100 volunteers gathered to search for surviving animals, treat injuries and relocate them to safe habitats after recent wildfires Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images A snowy egret at Pacific Grove, California, US Photograph: Rory Merry/Zuma Press Wire/Shutterstock A harlequin flying frog in Kubah national park, Sarawak, Borneo. The largest of these little amphibians are only 7cm long; their webbed feet help them to move around in the forest canopy Photograph: Mohd Rasfan/AFP/Getty Images For the first time in 11 years, the Eurasian otter has been seen in Malaysia, here captured on a camera trap in Tangkulap forest reserve, Borneo. The species was thought to be extinct in Malaysia, and this reappearance is a hopeful sign for a healthy aquatic ecosystem in the area Photograph: Sabah Forestry Department/Sabah Wildlife Department/Panthera A deer and her baby 'hide' in a cornfield in Neu-Anspach near Frankfurt, Germany Photograph: Michael Probst/AP A family of elephants play during their daily bath in a river at the Pinnawala elephant orphanage, Sri Lanka Photograph: Ishara S Kodikara/AFP/Getty Images Where the buffalo roam … a bison stops traffic in Yellowstone national park, Wyoming, US Photograph: Kaylee Greenlee/Reuters A female beaver and her kit at the National Trust's Holnicote estate in Exmoor, UK. Five years ago the Trust began releasing beavers into two enclosures on the estate and working to restore the River Aller to how it would have been before human interference, with multiple channels and pools. There are more than a dozen beavers there now Photograph: Barry Edwards/PA A wagtail catches up with the day's tennis action on the court at the Wimbledon Championships, London, UK Photograph: Tolga Akmen/EPA A female Sri Lankan sloth bear wanders through Yala national park, Sri Lanka Photograph: Krishan Kariyawasam/NurPhoto/Shutterstock A seagull flies with is catch over the Humber River in Toronto, Ontario, Canada Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images A white butterfly feeds on vibrant yellow wildflowers in Heyworth, Illinois, US Photograph: Alan Look/Zuma Press Wire/Shutterstock Storks gather to find a resting place in the trees around Bursa, Turkey. To young to start a nest and a family, they are known as 'idle' storks and they spend most of the summer months looking for food Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images An American dog tick, also known as a wood tick, climbs through tall weeds while searching for a host in Oregon, US. This species is a carrier of diseases such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia, though transmission is relatively rare in the Pacific north-west Photograph: Robin Loznak/Zuma Press Wire/Shutterstock A wild goat wanders on the rocks in Tunceli, Turkey Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images Lovebugs crawl over a wooden post on the peak of Gyeyangsan mountain in Incheon, west of Seoul. Despite their name, the insects are considered to be pests, and their population has exploded in South Korea owing to a warming climate. Municipal officials in Seoul recorded 9,296 complaints about lovebugs last year Photograph: Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty Images Not ready for takeoff … a vole looks surprised as it is carried away in the talons of a white-tailed kite in Mountain View, California, US Photograph: Sha Lu/SWNS
The Star
12-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
Barbie-maker Mattel teams up with OpenAI, eyes first AI-powered product this year
The Mattel company logo is pictured at the entrance of the Montoi plant in the municipality of Escobedo, Mexico March 15, 2022. REUTERS/Daniel Becerril (Reuters) -Mattel has teamed up with OpenAI to develop toys and games with artificial intelligence, and expects to launch its first AI-powered product later this year, the Barbie-maker said on Thursday. The company, which also makes Hot Wheels and Uno cards, plans to "bring the magic of AI to age-appropriate play experiences with an emphasis on innovation, privacy, and safety," it said. The move comes at a time when toy manufacturers are battling muted demand backdrop as consumers rein in spending to brace for the economic fallout of U.S. President Trump's shifting trade policy. Mattel will also incorporate OpenAI's advanced AI tools like ChatGPT Enterprise into its business operations to enhance product innovation, the company said. "With OpenAI, Mattel has access to an advanced set of AIcapabilities alongside new tools to enable productivity, creativity, and company-wide transformation at scale," said OpenAI operating chief Brad Lightcap. Over the last year, Mattel has relied on producing films, TV shows and mobile games based on its products such as Hot Wheels and Barbie to offset a slowdown in its core toy business. Last month, Mattel withdrew its annual forecast and said it would raise prices on some products sold domestically in a bid to mitigate higher supply chain costs. (Reporting by Savyata Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Leroy Leo)
