En esta noticia
The ruling issued by the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation in Mexico changes the regulations related to the movement of livestock within Mexican territory. The Full Court established that some state permits are no longer necessary. “The transit guide may exist as an instrument to prove ownership”, the highest judicial body stated in its ruling.
This ruling was the result of Constitutional Controversy 216/2025, analyzed during a Full Court session on March 10, 2026. In its ruling, Mexico’s Supreme Court pointed out that certain requirements in force in the state of Nayarit infringed federal powers, so their application is determined to be null.
In the corresponding official statement, the Supreme Court clarified that some state-level provisions were designed 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 outlined in the Mexican Constitution.
The Supreme Court upholds titles of ownership, but not state controls
The ruling makes a clear distinction between the documents that certify ownership of livestock and those that act as permits required for their transfer. The justices gave validity to certain aspects of the Nayarit Livestock Law that provides administrative instruments intended to prove possession or transfer of animals.
“These provisions fall within the power of the federal entities to legislate in civil matters and administrative matters,” the Court stated 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 emphasized that this type of control falls 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 mobilization of livestock.
However, the Full Court invalidated several articles of the same law that required state permits before transporting or exporting livestock, products, and animal by-products. Among them were transit guides numbered by local authorities or authorizations issued by inspectors.