In a recent post on X, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins reflected on a Gillespie County, Texas town hall meeting focused on protecting America’s livestock with an emphasis on NWS protection. Over 1,000 ranchers and key partners were in attendance.
Rollins said on the post “We discussed our combined unprecedented response, our investments in surveillance and preparedness, and the historic partnership delivering new tools for prevention and treatment to keep herds safe. There were many good questions – including the importance of keeping markets available for all and the proper use and treatment of
@US_FDA’s emergency authorized drugs. More work to do… but I am so encouraged by these patriots.”
Through the NWS Grand Challenge launched by the U.S. The Department of Agriculture aimed to combat and eradicate NWS, funding was delegated to 40 breakthrough projects. The University of Florida received funding for a research project aimed to Harnessing fly- and wound-associated microbiomes to develop?microbial attractants for effective detection and monitoring of NWS. Auburn University also received funding for a project titled Physiological and Isotopic Diagnostics for Sterile Insect Performance and NWS Risk Forecasting.
Secretary Rollins emphasized collaboration against NWS by saying, “This fight requires partnership at every level. I’m grateful to the ranchers, veterinarians, and industry leaders leading the charge. We beat New World Screwworm before — and together we will beat it again.”
Audio Reporting by Elizabeth Sanders for Southeast AgNet.