By P.J. Huffstutter
VERSAILLES, Ohio (Reuters) – U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Monday that the United States and Mexico had reached an agreement on the handling of New World screwworm, and that more information would be released in a few hours.
Screwworm can infest livestock, wildlife and in rare cases, people. Maggots from screwworm flies burrow into the skin of living animals, causing serious and often fatal damage.
Rollins sent a letter to Mexico’s agriculture minister, Julio Berdegueon, on Saturday warning that the United States would restrict livestock imports from Mexico on April 30 if the Mexican government did not take further action against the pest.
Rollins said during a tour of an Ohio egg facility that she had spoken with Berdegueon and that they came to an agreement on the issue.
“More will be released on that in the next few hours. It came to a good resolution,” she said.
(Reporting by P.J. Huffstutter in Versailles, Ohio; Writing by Leah Douglas in Washington and Tom Polansek in Chicago; Editing by Chris Reese and Mark Porter)
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