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Mexico to US livestock trade halted due to screwworm spread

usda.gov

101–110 of 219 posts

Re: Mexico to US livestock trade halted due to screwworm spread

#101
post #94

Whether your meat comes form South America or the US or the EU, always wear gloves when handling raw meats and don't touch your face. There are thousands of types of dangerous larvae that can infect via the eyes rubbing the eyes or the nose picking ones nose when handling raw meats and vegetables. Cutting meat slices thinner and cooking them well kills larvae. Marinating meats with something that contains acetic acid…

> I know I will get beat up for going against the agenda but I am that guy.

Food safety with raw meets isn’t really going against the agenda.

Re: Mexico to US livestock trade halted due to screwworm spread

#102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not essential. We can eat less beef. Better for health, the environment.

Already happening. Beef is rapidly becomming unaffordable. A steak at the supermarket is >$20. Can't imagine what they cost at a restaurant. I've switched to mostly turkey, chicken, and pork.

Im still getting outer skirt for $8 a pound at my grocery. Seems pretty affordable to me

Re: Mexico to US livestock trade halted due to screwworm spread

#104

A story from 2020 about how effective the US funded anti-screwworm program used to be. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/05/flesh-ea... Archive link: https://archive.ph/3sD9d

Why is it "used to be"? I've heard about the program before and thought it was incredible. What happened to it? Edit: Brief research tells me the screwworms broke though to Mexico in November 2024 after cases started increasing north of the Darian Gap throughout 2023 ( https://www.aphis.usda.gov/news/program-update/new-world-scr... ). It does seem like the funding now is happening through USDA rather than USAID ( htt…

> Brief research tells me the screwworms broke though to Mexico in November 2024 after cases started increasing north of the Darian Gap throughout 2023

Elsewhere in the thread people have posted explainer videos (of how the program works) from 2024 that seem entirely unaware of any such breach.

Re: Mexico to US livestock trade halted due to screwworm spread

#105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Someone must have decided they weren't "essential". Big mistake.

Not essential. We can eat less beef. Better for health, the environment.

> Better for health, the environment.

India has an equally large cattle industry that outproduces American dairy and cattle, yet their industry has a fraction of the carbon and methane impact as American dairy and cattle rearing [0] because the feed used in Indian industry is crop residue instead of industrialized meat+grain mixtures.

American Ag is hyperconsolidated into 3 processors [1] which makes it difficult for innovations to develop, whereas an equally large country like India has 228 local run dairy cooperatives and multiple private sector players each generating around $500M-2B in revenue.

Yet, the comments I'm seeing here on HN (and with those who I chatted with at the state level Dems) are reminiscent to those who blamed autoworkers and coalworkers for not learning to code back in 2014.

If someone like me who has been somewhat hesitant about Lina Khan until after getting deep into the dairy industry recently, I think HNers should recognize the value this train of thought can have in 2026 and 2028.

84% of Americans consume dairy or dairy alternative (still synthesized using dairy) products [2] - don't make this yet another culture war topic

[0] - https://www.thebullvine.com/dairy-industry/from-extinction-t...

[1] - https://www.thebullvine.com/news/will-your-dairy-farm-surviv...

[2] - https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/agriculture/our-insights...

Re: Mexico to US livestock trade halted due to screwworm spread

#106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Someone must have decided they weren't "essential". Big mistake.

Not essential. We can eat less beef. Better for health, the environment.

Screwworms will also infect humans, with horrific and potentially fatal consequences.

Re: Mexico to US livestock trade halted due to screwworm spread

#107
post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What a weird question, if it was at all genuine. Not only is it not inefficient but, e.g., cows are absolutely unique and amazing for their ability to digest, e.g., grass into something that is highly nutritiously desirable for humans.

https://ourworldindata.org/land-use-diets What you say is maybe true but irrelevant. We don't have to grow grass.

Crappy grass is the only thing that grows in the upper plains because there isnt any water.

Re: Mexico to US livestock trade halted due to screwworm spread

#108

Coming from a family that has cattle and dairy cows in south eastern Brazil, where screwworm is endemic, I was surprised when I listened to a podcast about screwworm, and some of the descriptions about how huge the problem was in the US. After some research it appears it affects more climates that are always hot and humid, and big operations where the animals are not being checked frequently. Also the handling at the…

> I was surprised when I listened to a podcast about screwworm, and some of the descriptions about how huge the problem was in the US.

It’s not a huge problem in the US. We eradicated screwworm in the 60s.

We are trying very hard to keep it out. The US normally works very hard to monitor and prevent these situations in trade partners.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/flesh-eating-scre...

Re: Mexico to US livestock trade halted due to screwworm spread

#109
post #84
post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

(Implied) invalid generalization, or confirmation bias. This is a good reason to not eat that particular meat. In general, however, meat is an S-tier source of nutrition, vitamins, and minerals.

Food that eats food isn't ever gonna be good thermodynamics.

Calories isn't the only thing that's needed from food.

Re: Mexico to US livestock trade halted due to screwworm spread

#110
post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How can something which is horribly inefficient for environment (water use, land use, greenhouse emissions from fertilizer) possibly be S tier?

What a weird question, if it was at all genuine. Not only is it not inefficient but, e.g., cows are absolutely unique and amazing for their ability to digest, e.g., grass into something that is highly nutritiously desirable for humans.

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