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Mexico to US livestock trade halted due to screwworm spread

usda.gov

141–150 of 219 posts

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

#141
Very hard to escape biology unless you invest in understanding it. Ticks, mosquito-born diseases, agricultural pests, they don't care about AI, politics, or space-races or geo political boundaries. We, on the other hand, require life to go on, it's asynchronous.

This is why natural history collections, and taxonomists are going to be more critical than ever, at some point we'll need to re-invest in knowing what's out there, and, more importantly how and why it's different than what we knew before. Biodiversity is vast, this isn't easy.

Companies that anticipate this (we know we're going to get a billion requests for "what's this fly", how can we monitize this?), and also actully understand that species are literally invaluable lab experiments running millions of years, are bound to benefit. In a not so distance Scifi future will we see big pharma, defense, etc. protecting areas and their environments because they finally grok this?

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

#142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, the USDA-APHIS Screwworm Barrier Maintenance Program had its funding reduced by 30% in the 2024 budget, which significantly impacted sterile fly production capacity at the Panama facility.

citation? USDA approved an emergency funding of 165 million in 2024 for this issue https://www.aphis.usda.gov/news/agency-announcements/usda-ap...

If he says the budget was reduced, isn't the citation already made?

Government budgets are usually public. Do you want a secondary source, like a news article?

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

#143
post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, obviously; but it’s not the end of the cattle industry as some make it out to be. To clarify: it was never eradicated. It’s been actively managed and kept at bay. Now it’s punching through some holes.

Because we stopped doing the thing that works. Your earlier point, that we can just as easily return to herd management strategies, was wrong.

What did we stop doing? The sterilization program is ongoing.

There are always periodic outbreaks in Central America and Mexico. The current one started in 2023.

One common vector is illegal cattle trafficking.

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

#145
post #139

Feels like we had the cure in our hands and just let the disease walk back in.

The “cure” is an unceasing war. Then COVID hit and the war ceased for a few months.

So with pests and viruses there is no real eradication? Do they really require an unceasing war to reign them in? I have no knowledge of this field - just curious.

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

#146
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…

>> always wear gloves when handling raw meats and don't touch your face.

Ecoli alone should be enough to be careful with handling raw meats (of any animal) and of course the worms and other things. Specially if you have ANY wounds, small as they are, if e.g. lemon juice burns, is an open wound.

Also meat should be cooked properly. Lately seems to be kind of hype, almost a competition, who eats the rawer meat. 5 star chefs are pushing more and more red, even I have seen “chefs” simply literally laying meat for 5 seconds. The texture is gummy, taste horrible, and just dangerous.

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

#147
post #141

Very hard to escape biology unless you invest in understanding it. Ticks, mosquito-born diseases, agricultural pests, they don't care about AI, politics, or space-races or geo political boundaries. We, on the other hand, require life to go on, it's asynchronous. This is why natural history collections, and taxonomists are going to be more critical than ever, at some point we'll need to re-invest in knowing what's out…

I highly doubt big pharma will intervene. Humans only care about the foreseeable future. Our interest and actions regarding climate change shows that openly to each and everyone of us.

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

#148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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.

What's with everyone saying they know some secret that everyone else is trying to suppress? Is it just that we all spend time in our bubble and take that to other groups? I don't even know what agenda he's going against by saying one should be careful around raw meat. Who's on the other side of this?

I have had lots of discussions with people who insist in eating all raw. I have been in a restaurant where a teenager ordered a raw beef right beaid us. Made me sick just of seeing, feeling the raw meat smell, and hearing the chewing. I have seen enough “chefs” handling raw meat in tv, putting it literally seconds in heat, and basically eating raw. There is no agenda, but I do see a trend.

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

#149
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.

Asserting ruminants are “irrelevant” tells me nobody should take you seriously on this topic. Replicating their function is the problem to solve if you ever want to make the case you think you are making.

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

#150
post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's with everyone saying they know some secret that everyone else is trying to suppress? Is it just that we all spend time in our bubble and take that to other groups? I don't even know what agenda he's going against by saying one should be careful around raw meat. Who's on the other side of this?

I have had lots of discussions with people who insist in eating all raw. I have been in a restaurant where a teenager ordered a raw beef right beaid us. Made me sick just of seeing, feeling the raw meat smell, and hearing the chewing. I have seen enough “chefs” handling raw meat in tv, putting it literally seconds in heat, and basically eating raw. There is no agenda, but I do see a trend.

The shock of it is gamed for TikTok and Reels virality
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