**Efforts to Establish a Cattle Export Certification Zone in Baja California**
The mayor of San Quintín, Miriam Cano Núñez, plans to engage with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) regarding the feasibility of an accreditable zone for live cattle export that includes San Quintín, San Felipe, and southern Ensenada. This initiative has been pitched by the Baja California State Agriculture Secretariat to the federal Mexican government.
Cano Núñez seeks assurance from USDA, highlighting contradicting documents from Mexico’s National Service of Health, Food Safety, and Quality (Senasica). One document asserts that USDA only certifies entire municipalities, while another seems to support the proposal without mentioning USDA’s condition. The USDA has not historically certified regions with divided municipalities, implying Baja California is being somewhat of a test case instead of proceeding with certifying just San Quintín and San Felipe. The mayor expressed support for the proposal if the USDA deems it viable.
Should the USDA find the proposition impractical, particularly if southern Ensenada needs exclusion, Cano Núñez suggested her government could help by providing spaces for security posts, considering fencing is impossible due to wildlife like bighorn sheep in the area.
She also emphasized addressing health public concerns in northern Ensenada, like human-transmittable tuberculosis and brucellosis. This is crucial in places like Maneadero, where milk could potentially come from brucellosis-infected cattle.
Cano Núñez stressed the absence of an accurate cattle census in her municipality. An inflated census exists for resource allocation purposes but improving transparency could enhance selling opportunities with USDA certification, she pointed out. Accurate headcounts are necessary to conduct tuberculosis and brucellosis tests.
In a recent meeting with the Director of State Livestock, Luz del Carmen Gastélum López, and the President of the Regional Livestock Union, Gustavo Rodríguez Cabrales, Cano Núñez indicated her questions remained unresolved. To comprehend the “feasibility” affirmed by Senasica concerning the proposal, she intends to engage with the organization further. The meeting also disclosed an over six million peso under-expenditure in 2024 by the Livestock Support and Protection Committee.
Poor progress in addressing bovine tuberculosis in the state, despite ten years of acknowledging its link to human respiratory diseases, was noted in a recent publication. Even so, the State Agriculture Secretariat presented a proposal for USDA certification without completing all cattle inspections.
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**Secondary Article: Challenges in Livestock Export Certification Process**
Mexico continues to face challenges in establishing a USDA-certified export zone for live cattle due to health concerns like tuberculosis and brucellosis. Efforts to achieve certification highlight the need for robust livestock health management and accurate record-keeping to meet international standards.
Certification would open doors to broader export opportunities, which could offer economic benefits to regions involved. However, balancing these economic interests with public health safety remains critical. Stakeholders find themselves navigating complex regulatory landscapes, necessitating collaboration between local, national, and international authorities to ensure both health safety and economic viability.
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