Canada has banned imports of livestock from Texas after the screwworm was detected in cattle herds across the southern U.S. state.
The Canadian ban comes after a second case of the flesh-eating screwworm was confirmed in Southern Texas near the Mexican border.
The screwworm outbreak has raised concerns about the parasite spreading further across the U.S. and infecting cattle herds.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced temporary restrictions on all livestock imports from Texas.
The Canadian ban covers cattle, horses, and other livestock that originated in Texas or were present in the state for 21 days or longer before entering Canada.
However, Canadian government officials stressed that the screwworm parasite is unlikely to establish itself permanently north of the border because of the country’s cold climate.
Canadian farms imported about 550,000 cattle from the U.S. in 2025, according to government data.
The Texas screwworm outbreak has prompted Governor Greg Abbott to issue a “disaster declaration” across the state.
A screwworm is the maggot of a parasitic blowfly that burrows into cattle, horses, and other livestock and feeds on their flesh and tissue.
