Business · Trade · 2 hrs ago
Sonora suspends cattle exports as authorities test for foot-and-mouth disease
A calf with mouth sores was found at a quarantine station in Agua Prieta, Sonora.
The sores can be caused by several diseases, including foot-and-mouth disease, which authorities say has been absent from Mexico since it was eradicated in 1955.
Mexico’s animal-health authorities have taken samples for laboratory testing to identify the cause and rule out the highly contagious disease.
As a precaution, cattle at the station were sent back to their places of origin and the facility was disinfected.
Cattle inspections for export to the US are suspended at Agua Prieta, while exports through San Jerónimo, Chihuahua, continue normally.
Sonora’s exports could resume once testing rules out an exotic disease, with officials saying operations may restart next week; the cattle producers’ group gave Tuesday, October 20, as a possible date.
Veterinarians have been urged to inspect cattle before transport and report any mouth sores to authorities.
Sonora’s cattle exports to the United States were temporarily suspended after a calf with mouth sores was found at a quarantine station in Agua Prieta.
Authorities are testing samples to determine whether the lesions were caused by foot-and-mouth disease or another illness.
The Sonora Regional Livestock Union said it halted exports as a precaution because the lesions can resemble foot-and-mouth disease symptoms.
Authorities sent the cattle at the station back to their place of origin and ordered the facilities disinfected.
Exports from the San Jerónimo quarantine station in Chihuahua continued as normal.
- Who
- Sonora cattle ranchers and the Sonora Regional Livestock Union suspended exports; Mexican animal-health authorities are investigating.
- What
- Cattle exports to the United States were temporarily halted after a calf was found with mouth sores. Testing is being done to identify the cause.
- When
- The suspension was announced on October 16, 2026.
- Where
- At the Agua Prieta quarantine station in Sonora, Mexico.
- Why
- The lesions could be symptoms of foot-and-mouth disease, so the suspension was taken as a precaution while samples are tested.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
A calf with mouth sores was detected during an inspection at the Agua Prieta quarantine station, prompting a temporary halt to cattle exports.
Specialists took a sample for laboratory testing, and authorities ordered cattle at the station returned to their place of origin and the facilities disinfected.
The Sonora Regional Livestock Union said exports could resume if laboratory results ruled out foot-and-mouth disease.
- Location
- Agua Prieta, Sonora
- Animal finding
- A calf with mouth sores
- Sample testing
- Senasica laboratory
- Cattle returned
- About 1,300 head
- Other export station
- San Jerónimo, Chihuahua
- Potential restart
- October 20, 2026, if tests rule out foot-and-mouth disease
2 sources
What people are saying
The UGRS informs producers and the public that, following the detection of a mouth sore in an animal during a cattle inspection, the export process to the United States was temporarily halted today.
Our administration makes a strong and respectful call to veterinarians to redouble their efforts in inspections at origin, so they can identify and promptly report these findings to the health authorities.