Leaders of the top U.S. cattle industry alerted Tuesday that the physical infestation developed through Mexico remains a serious threat to American ranchers, even as the Trump administration has achieved a significant victory in stopping it.

Buck Wehrbein, president of the National Catlerman Beef Association (NCBA) and president of cattle feeders from eastern Nebraska, praised agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins for his aggressive action on the New World Screwsorn, an outbreak of parasite fly whose larvae can cause physical wounds to larvae, often causing obesity.

But Wehrbein warned that only one day left before the U.S. final pass ended, “the crisis is far from over” and that the U.S. cattle herd is still in danger.

"If this screwworm enters the United States, it could destroy our industry," Wehrbein told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview.

USDA threatens to stop imports of Mexican beef and meat-eating crisis

"These parasites actually ate livestock alive. We eradicated them from the United States in the 1960s and we wouldn't let them catch them again."

Wehrbein noted that the U.S. government spent millions of dollars to eliminate New World Screwworms from decades ago—just to get the pests back in Central America and start crawling northward towards Texas.

The screwworm was first discovered in southern Mexico late last year, prompting U.S. authorities to scramble to contain it. From late November to February, the U.S. Department of Agriculture temporarily stopped importing Mexican cattle after screwworm boxes surfaced in Chiapas, highlighting how officials took the threat to U.S. food supply seriously.

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Now, U.S. agriculture officials are competing for the ultimate obstacle to carnivorous flies before reaching the border. For decades, the United States and Mexico have relied on a sophisticated Sterile Insect Technology (SIT) program that uses aircraft to release millions of sterile male flies to keep the screwworm population under control. But, due to bureaucratic interventions by Mexican authorities, the strategy blocked and delayed the critical fly release mission, as the outbreak grew.

Mexico “failed to charge import taxes on U.S.-funded equipment by denying landing permissions and lowering fly flies to six days a week, officials said officials said officials allowed Pace to spread further.

Wehrbein did not hide his frustration.

"We pulled the hair out," he said. "Science stopped this bug there, but if the plane was based on paperwork.

In a letter received by Fox News Digital on April 26, Secretary Rollins gave Mexico an April 30 deadline to address these issues or stop in imports of live cattle, bison and horses, a move that would hit Mexico's ranch economy and tighten supply chains that the United States is already under pressure.

"It certainly caught their attention," Wehrbein pointed out. "No one is willing to close the trade. It is the last one that has to harm producers on both sides. But Secretary Rollins and President Trump made it clear that protecting the cattle herd in the United States is the first."

Wehrbein said the NCBA met with senior embassy officials in Washington last week to emphasize urgency.

“Mexican and American ranchers are on the same side here. We need to stop this pest,” Wehrbein said. “Getting common sense cooperation should not require advanced threats.”

Rollins posted on X on Tuesday that Mexico agreed to allow us to land sterile aircraft, calling it a “great victory over our American ranchers!”

Fox News Digital has contacted the Rollins Secretary’s Office for more details and confirmations, but has not received a response.

Wehrbein welcomed the news, saying it marked a turning point, but not the end of the threat.

"It's absolutely crucial to get those planes back into the air. It's a relief to see Mexico finally do the right thing," he said. "Frankly, it shouldn't have taken that long. But at least now we have a chance to fight to contain the pandemic and reach our borders."

While the flight permit appears to have been restored, it is not clear whether Mexico will give up its import duties or allow seven-day operations, both requiring both to operate. Rollins also called on senior liaisons of the Mexican government to ensure faster coordination.

In the long run, the U.S. needs to rethink its biosecurity on external partners, Welbein said.

"This situation shows why we need our own domestic sterile fly supply," he said. "If we had a facility in our home and brought them up, we wouldn't be at the mercy of the cooperation of another country."

Wehrbein is a cattle-raising veteran, grew up on a farm in eastern Nebraska and worked for years in commercial cattle feeding in Texas. He now runs a feedlot outside Omaha and holds leadership positions at the state and national levels. This year, he was elected president of the NCBA, the country's largest and oldest organization representing cattle producers and has become a key voice for the organization in Washington.

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"We love this industry. We are proud to feed our country and the world," Wehrbein said. "But protecting it requires vigilance, cooperation and leadership. Screwworm reminds us that we always escape disasters and we must stay away from disasters."

Bill Melugin of Fox News Digital contributed to the report.

Editor's Note: The National Veal Man's Beef Association is the contractor of the National Beef Checkout Program and does not manage the program. Beef checkout is managed by Cattlemen's Beef Commission, a separate organization operated under the supervision of the USDA.