NCBA Urges Fast Action as New World Screw Worm Nears U.S. Border
As the New World Screw Worm inches closer to the U.S. border, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) is urging immediate and decisive action to protect the American cattle industry. Following the detection just 70 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, NCBA CEO Collin Woodall shared the association’s position and response priorities.
“It’s very clear that the New World Screw Worm continues its march north and once again reinforces the concern that we have in being able to protect our members and our cattle from this pest.”
The recent announcement by Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins to build both a sterile fly production facility and a distribution center in South Texas has drawn praise from the NCBA—but also a strong call for urgency.
“We’ve been very appreciative of the leadership of Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, in her announcement of the construction of both a domestic screw worm sterile fly production facility and distribution facility in South Texas.”
With the pest moving rapidly, Woodall stressed the need to expedite construction.
“We have got to make sure that construction on both of those projects is being expedited just as quickly as possible because time is just no longer on our side and we’re going to need the ability to have more control over the distribution of the sterile flies here in the United States and to be able to produce our own.”
Beyond facilities, NCBA wants to ensure that new technologies and emergency resources are deployed effectively.
“I think it also just reinforces the need to ensure that new technologies and the money that the Secretary committed to that are being put to the test just as quickly as possible. It really comes down to the government doing more faster as a way to ensure we have the tools.”
While the FDA has authorized emergency use of certain treatments, more collaboration is needed.
“And while FDA has already done a good job of providing an emergency use of products, we need to make sure that they are also at the table, continue to have the discussion of what more they can do to help us and the industry identify those products that can help be used by producers in healing up their cattle once we do see new world screw worm.”
Audio Reporting by Dale Sandlin for Southeast AgNet.