US Imposes Animal Import Ban on Belize Over Screwworm

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced new restrictions on live animal imports from Belize, effective January 3, 2025. This comes after Belize confirmed its first case of New World Screwworm in the country.

The USDA has prohibited the import of live ruminants, swine, and their germplasm from Belize. Dogs from Belize will be allowed entry with a health certificate confirming they have been inspected for screwworm.

Horses from Belize will need to undergo a strict screwworm treatment protocol, including quarantine, upon arrival in the U.S. “Horses imported to the United States from screwworm-free regions transiting screwworm-affected regions via air, land, or sea will require a minimum of 7 days in quarantine at an APHIS Animal Import Centre,” the USDA stated.

Belize first announced the investigation of a suspected case on December 28, 2024. Two days later, the Ministry of Agriculture confirmed the first case of New World Screwworm in a Brangus heifer in Crique Sarco, Belize.

The Belize Agricultural Health Authority (BAHA) reported that a six-month-old Brangus heifer on a farm in Crique Sarco, Belize, was discovered with a suspicious wound on her right ear, near her ear tag. Upon closer inspection, fifty-nine larvae were removed from the wound. 

Dr. Roxanna Alvarez, Animal Health Director at BAHA, reported, “No other wound was found on the animal, and no other animals in the herd presented lesions, wounds, or infestations.” The farm is now under quarantine, and the heifer’s wound has been treated.