Exports of cattle to the United States from neighboring Sonora have fallen precipitously.

The head of the Sonoran Regional Cattle Union says that those exports will be down around 40% from last year, according to a report in the local news station Uniradio.

Union President Hector Platt said the fall is in part a consequence of the massive sell off of cattle forced by the crippling drought and abysmal 2020 monsoon season, though this year’s monsoon was dramatically better.

Oscar Camou, the union’s head of operations, said that ranchers have also been seeing better prices for their animals domestically than abroad, making exporting less appealing.

Ranching is a massive industry in Sonora, with exports of live animals totaling well over $200 million annually in recent years, according to state data.