USDA bans Holstein cross steers, spayed heifers from Mexico

USDA bans Holstein cross steers, spayed heifers from Mexico    The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has banned the import of Holstein cross steers and spayed heifers from Mexico.
   The ban, effective April 1, is to prevent the spread of bovine tuberculosis, which has been found in Mexican cattle herds.
   “Given the size of the U.S. livestock inventories and the volume of animal and animal product sales, consequences of a large tuberculosis outbreak in the United States could be catastrophic,” the agency said.
   The value of cattle imported from Mexico in 1998 through 2001 represented less than 1 percent of the value of the total U.S. domestic cattle supply. USDA expects the economic effects of the ban on U.S. livestock industry to negligible.