En esta noticia
The ruling issued by the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation, SCJN, changes the regulations related to the transport of livestock in Mexican territory. The Full Court established that certain state permits are no longer necessary. “The transit guide may exist as an instrument to prove ownership”, the highest judicial body stated in its opinion.
This ruling was the result of Constitutional Controversy 216/2025, reviewed during a Full Court session on March 10, 2026. In its opinion, the Supreme Court pointed out that certain requirements in the state of Nayarit infringed on federal powers, so their application will be considered null.
In the corresponding official statement, the Supreme Court clarified that some state-level provisions were intended to regulate the movement of livestock through local authorizations.
In practice, they imposed a state system of prior authorization to move livestock, the court ruled, which contravenes the powers set forth in the Mexican Constitution.
The Supreme Court upholds title deeds, but not state controls
The ruling makes a clear distinction between the documents that prove ownership of livestock and those that act as permits required for their transport. The justices upheld certain aspects of the Nayarit Livestock Law that provide administrative instruments intended to demonstrate possession or the transfer of animals.
“These provisions fall within the authority of the federative entities to legislate in civil matters and administrative matters,” the Court said in justifying the validity of those records.
According to the statement, these mechanisms are sustainable because they do not constitute a mandatory filter for the movement of livestock.
State permits to move livestock are annulled
The Supreme Court stressed that this type of controls fall within the federal sphere, especially in health matters.
“These provisions invade the Federation’s sphere of competence in matters of general health,” the court concluded, making it clear that states cannot impose prior authorizations for the movement of livestock.
However, the Full Court invalidated several articles of the same law that required state permits before transporting or exporting livestock, products, and livestock by-products. Among them were transit guides numbered by local authorities or authorizations issued by inspectors.