Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program
Title XII requires USDA to evaluate the Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program. Joint USDA-Texas effort to control fever tick incursions across the Mexico border. Eradication zone management has been politically contentious.
What the program does
The Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program is a joint USDA-Texas effort to control cattle fever tick incursions across the U.S.-Mexico border. Cattle fever ticks (Rhipicephalus annulatus and R. microplus) carry bovine babesiosis (“Texas cattle fever”), a deadly cattle disease that has been functionally eradicated from the U.S. but persists in Mexico.
The program operates through:
- Permanent quarantine zone in South Texas along the Mexico border
- Temporary preventive quarantine areas (TPQAs) in counties where ticks are detected
- Mandatory dipping of cattle in quarantined areas
- Mounted Patrol (“Tick Riders”) who inspect for ticks and stray livestock
- Coordination with Texas Animal Health Commission
Why it matters
Bovine babesiosis would cause significant economic damage if it re-established in U.S. cattle herds. The eradication program prevents this.
But the program is politically contentious:
- Producers in temporary quarantine zones face mandatory dipping costs and operational restrictions
- Land use restrictions in quarantine areas
- State-federal coordination tensions (Texas Animal Health Commission vs USDA APHIS)
- Wildlife implications: feral pigs, white-tailed deer, and other wildlife can carry ticks
What changed in the Farm Bill 2.0
Mandated evaluation
Title XII requires USDA to evaluate the Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program. The evaluation must address:
- Program effectiveness
- Cost-effectiveness
- Impact on producers
- Alternative approaches
- Coordination with Mexico
What’s NOT in the bill
- No expansion of program funding
- No specific producer cost-share for mandatory dipping
- No changes to quarantine zone boundaries
Who it matters for
- South Texas cattle ranchers: directly affected by quarantine
- Texas Animal Health Commission
- USDA APHIS field operations
- Wildlife managers: feral pig and deer carriers
- Cattle industry broadly: protected from fever tick re-establishment