Secretary Rollins Makes Announcement on New World Screworm Efforts

USDA Expands Fight Against New World Screwworm with $750M Texas Facility

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is ramping up its battle against the reemergence of the New World screwworm, a dangerous pest threatening livestock across the southern U.S. border. In a major announcement last week, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins detailed the expansion of the USDA’s five-pronged plan to combat the deadly parasite.

The Secretary said that the first component of this effort will be building a domestic sterile fly production facility in Edinburgh, Texas, tripling the output of sterile flies and investing $750 million in this facility.

This aggressive move comes as the screwworm, once eradicated in the U.S., has dangerously resurfaced near the southern border, impacting Texas and posing serious risks to Arizona and New Mexico.

The Secretary also committed $100 million in cutting-edge technology in the identification and prevention of New World screwworm until the facility’s production is up and running.

In a broader strategy that combines biosecurity, border control, and international cooperation, Rawlins outlined multiple new initiatives.

The Secretary also announced the additional hiring of USDA’s Employed Mounted Patrol, or the TIC riders, which will provide the first line of defense in the U.S.-Mexico border. The Secretary announced also that beagles in the USDA’s Beagle Brigade will also be trained to identify screwworm infections.

Recognizing the regional nature of the threat, Rawlins announced cross-border cooperation with Mexico.

Finally, the Secretary also announced that USDA will be working with Mexico’s Secretary of Agriculture to provide training and increased response inside of Mexico to help them improve their systems south of the border.

Mexico has agreed to halt movement of livestock in the affected zone through an audio feed through Fox 7 Austin, the Secretary said.

Rollins closed with a stark warning:
“This pest, which was once eradicated in the United States decades ago, has now reemerged and reemerged dangerously close to our southern border, closest to Texas, but also waging a war with our friends in Arizona and New Mexico as well. Its peril is not just in the cause, but because it endangers the livelihood of our livestock, it endangers our livestock industry, and it threatens the stability of beef prices for consumers across America.”

Audio Reporting by Dale Sandlin for Southeast AgNet.