MEXICO CITY (AP) -- Mexico and the United States said they would gradually reopen the United States border to cattle imports from Mexico in July after U.S. agriculture officials suspended them in May over fears of the northward spread of the screwworm, agriculture officials in both countries said Monday.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said via X that "key progress" had been made. She noted that more than 100 million sterile flies were being dispersed weekly and there had been no northward spread in eight weeks.

The U.S. restricted Mexican cattle shipments in late November following the detection of the pest, but lifted the ban in February after protocols were put in place to evaluate the animals prior to entry into the country. But after an "unacceptable northward advancement" of the screwworm, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement it was suspending them again in May.

Mexico Agriculture and Rural Development Secretary Julio Berdegué said he participated in a virtual meeting with Rollins Monday and that the border opening would begin July 7.

Rollins and Berdegué applauded the close cooperation between both governments.

The screwworm is a larva of the Cochliomyia hominivorax fly that can invade the tissues of any warm-blooded animal, including humans. The parasite enters the skin, causing serious and life-threatening damage and lesions.