The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced funding for the 40 Breakthrough projects in an effort to defend against New World Screwworm. Through the program proposals will receive a combined total of $105 million. According to the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service website this funding will be used “to sharpen detection, accelerate control and eradication tools, and strengthen rapid-response capabilities.”
In January of 2026 the USDA launched the NWS Grand Challenge plan aimed to combat NWS through high-impact projects.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, said “We launched the Grand Challenge expecting bold, innovative, and science-backed ideas to fight New World screwworm, and the proposals delivered just that. These projects represent the creativity, scientific rigor, and determination we need to reinforce our existing efforts, empower our producers, and safeguard American agriculture and our food supply. We have beaten this pest before, and by leveraging innovative solutions and advancements in technology we will beat it again in record time.”
USDA’s APHIS outlines the focus of the Grand challenge as four core priorities. According to the APHIS website the four core priorities are, “Enhance sterile NWS fly production to improve program efficiency and capacity, Develop novel NWS traps and lures to modernize detection and early warning systems, Advance NWS therapeutics and treatments to reduce animal health impacts and strengthen response capability, Develop tools that bolster preparedness and response, including repellents, ecological modeling, wildlife surveillance, or other innovative approaches.”
Audio Reporting by Elizabeth Sanders for Southeast AgNet.