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U.S.-Mexico Binational Committee

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The U.S.-Mexico Binational Committees (BNCs), specifically the BNC for Tuberculosis

and Brucellosis, and the BNC for Cattle Fever Ticks, operate under the auspices of

the U.S. Animal Health Association (USAHA). Historically, the majority of BNC

activities focused on bovine tuberculosis (TB), starting in 1993 with a mandate to

promote a comprehensive U.S.-Mexico TB eradication effort and facilitate cattle

trade across the common border. Today, the BNCs provide a forum for U.S. and

Mexican Federal, State, and industry stakeholders to interact and actively address

issues hampering control and eradication of bovine TB, brucellosis, and cattle fever

ticks. The BNCs promote collaboration, coordination, and resolution of cattle health

and trade issues at all levels.

Organization and Membership

The first BNC, the Binational Committee for Tuberculosis, was formed in 1993 with

the U.S and Mexican Chief Veterinary Officers as co-chairs and seven members from

each country representing the livestock industries (beef, dairy, and a general farm

representative), regulatory animal health officials, and the research community.

Brucellosis activities were added during the 1995 USAHA annual meeting, creating

the Binational Committee for Tuberculosis and Brucellosis, with 2 additional seats for

brucellosis specialists. Binational interests later expanded to a separate but related

Binational Committee for Cattle Fever Ticks, with 16 members.

Leadership of the BNC transitioned over the years to U.S. and Mexican co-chairs

selected from the general membership. Governmental representation on the U.S.
side includes USDA APHIS Veterinary Services, International Services, and Wildlife

Services; USDA Agricultural Research Service; and State Animal Health Officials

representing the U.S. border States of Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and California.

Governmental representation on the Mexican side includes members from the

National Health Services, Food Safety and Food Quality (SENASICA); the National

Institute of Forestry, Agricultural, and Livestock Research (INIFAP); and State Animal

Health Officials.

History and TB Activities

The U.S.-Mexico Binational Committee for Tuberculosis was established in 1993 in

response to a request from the USAHA Committee on Tuberculosis for a

comprehensive U.S.-Mexico TB eradication and control program, including a joint

committee. At the time, Mexico did not have a strong national TB eradication

program and APHIS regulations governing importation of cattle from Mexico were

inadequate to address the associated risk. The BNC was tasked to evaluate TB

control and eradication efforts in the United States and Mexico and draft criteria for

export of cattle to the United States, while APHIS and SENASICA developed nationallevel regulations and import standards.

1994-2001

APHIS initially proposed amendments to the import requirements for cattle from

Mexico in May 1994. The proposal was unpopular with BNC members representing

the U.S. Border States (California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and

Kansas), who developed the Consensus Document in response. This document

recognized three stages of TB eradication in Mexico—Control/Preparatory,

Eradication, and Free—with associated import testing. APHIS withdrew the proposal

in February 1995 and the U.S. Border States adopted the Consensus Document into

State regulations.

Under the auspices of the BNC, U.S. members and associates began conducting

onsite reviews of various Mexican States to determine TB status in accordance with

the criteria in the Consensus Document. The review teams generated a report with a

status recommendation, which the BNC members voted on. The U.S. Border States

allowed importation of cattle tested in accordance with the designated TB status.
The Consensus Document formed the basis for legislation establishing the National

Campaign against Bovine Tuberculosis in Mexico in 1996, which remains in force

today. APHIS efforts to develop comprehensive import regulations acceptable to

Federal, State, and industry partners continued.

2001-2007

APHIS published an interim rule in April 2001 intended to promote a more uniform

approach to cattle imports while efforts to develop more permanent regulations

acceptable to State and industry partners continued. This rule classified all of Mexico

as relatively high risk for bovine TB and required negative herd and individual tests

for all imported cattle. When BNC members pointed out that some parts of Mexico

were lower TB risk, APHIS developed a waiver system to exempt qualifying regions

from herd testing. The Waiver Conditions Document was based on the principles of

animal health regionalization in title 9, Code of Federal Regulations, part 92.2 (9 CFR

92.2) and the 1999 Bovine TB Uniform Methods and Rules.

APHIS began leading reviews of Mexican regions using the Waiver Conditions

Document, with BNC support. The BNC continued to vote on TB status, which APHIS

administratively recognized via a VS Notice title Bovine Tuberculosis Testing

Requirements for the Importation of Mexican Cattle (later becoming a VS Bulletin).

The first VS Notice was published in 2002 and recognized the TB status of 18

Mexican regions.

APHIS published a second interim rule in June 2003 that implemented a permit

system for cattle from Mexico and classified most of Mexico as non-accredited,

effectively prohibiting cattle exports from Mexican States without APHIS-recognized

TB status except direct to slaughter. By 2004, APHIS was nearing publication of a

proposed rule to apply U.S. domestic TB status levels and movement requirements

to certain regions of Mexico. However, issuance of the 2005 Bovine TB Uniform

Methods and Rules in January 2005 delayed publication of the proposed rule.

Internal APHIS discussions in 2006 resulted in redrafting of the proposal to create

stand-alone import TB regulations and a separate Mexico TB notice. Meanwhile,

APHIS-led reviews with administrative recognition of waiver status continued.

2007-2014
On recommendation from USAHA, APHIS officially eliminated the waiver system in

June 2005 and began requiring Mexican regions to meet the same criteria as U.S.

States qualifying for equivalent status. APHIS created a VS Memorandum titled

Guidelines for Tuberculosis Reviews in Mexico to standardize this process, based on

the 2005 Bovine TB Uniform Methods and Rules and designed to guide onsite

reviews and TB status decisions until new regulations were in place. However, APHIS

placed the proposed import TB rule and Mexico notice on hold indefinitely in October

2008 due to planned changes to the U.S. domestic TB program. After extensive

stakeholder consultation, drafting of a combined domestic and import rule governing

both TB and brucellosis commenced in 2012.

APHIS continued to lead onsite reviews of Mexican regions and report the results at

BNC meetings but final decisions on TB status transitioned to APHIS. By 2014, APHIS

recognized the TB status of over 25 States and zones in Mexico for cattle import

purposes and the burden of monitoring these regions had become untenable. APHIS

and SENASICA agreed in December 2014 to consolidate the various States and

zones into 12 (later 16) distinct regions. APHIS developed new standards for

evaluating these regions in accordance with the provisions of the draft proposed

rule, carrying over many of the provisions in VS Memorandum 552.41.

2015-Present

APHIS began conducting onsite reviews of the 16 proposed regions in March 2015

using the new standards. The comprehensive TB and brucellosis proposed rule was

published in December 2015. Due to complex and somewhat adverse public

comment, APHIS withdrew the domestic parts in March 2019 for further

development. APHIS published the final import rule in September 2020. This

effectively established a system for APHIS to evaluate and classify the TB and

brucellosis status of foreign regions and apply risk-based import testing

requirements. APHIS maintains an online list of regions classified in accordance with

the new regulations. BNC members receive updates from APHIS staff on onsite

reviews and continue to provide input on factors impacting cattle exports on both

sides of the border.

Other Activities

The BNCs are actively engaged in a variety of other bilateral interests, from onsite

reviews to assess the status of Mexican regions for brucellosis (Sonora) and cattle
fever ticks (Baja California, Chihuahua) to developing a tick buffer zone along the

common border. The BNC facilitates several ongoing research projects, including

genotyping of U.S. and Mexican TB strains, creating and maintaining a TB serum

bank, and exploring the role of unpasteurized Mexican milk and cheese in TB cases

in southern California. The BNCs remain actively involved in cattle trade issues,

providing incentive and input for resolution.

BNC Meetings

The BNCs meet twice per year during annual meetings of the National Cattlemen’s

Beef Association (NCBA) in the United States and the Confederacion Nacional de

Organizaciones Ganaderas (CNOG) in Mexico. BNC meetings are open to all

interested stakeholders. The agendas include program updates from Federal and

State Animal Health Officials, APHIS onsite animal health status reviews of Mexican

regions, laws and regulations, animal identification, import and export issues, and

other areas of concern to the livestock industries of the United States and Mexico.