US authorities are expediting emergency measures following the first detection of the flesh-eating New World screwworm parasite in Texas cattle in approximately 50 years. This development represents a setback for local farm health officials who have been working to prevent a recent outbreak in Mexico from spreading to the US, and it is considered an ominous sign for the already struggling livestock sector. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins stated that the US plans to invest over $1 billion to eliminate the New World screwworm from the country.
Secretary Rollins, in a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing, reassured senators that the recent screwworm outbreak is under control and poses no threat to the nation's food supply. She confirmed six cases of the New World screwworm within the US over the past week and a half, with all but one located in South Texas. Rollins emphasized that this development, while serious, did not catch the USDA off guard.
While the USDA had kept the screwworm at bay for months, the confirmation of the first case in a South Texas calf in early June marks a critical point. Experts estimate that 500 million sterile flies are needed weekly to eradicate the pest, but the US government currently produces only about 100 million flies per week from a facility in Panama. A new facility in Metapa, Mexico, is expected to eventually add another 100 million flies, though it will take time to reach full capacity. An additional facility at Moore Air Force Base in Edinburg, Texas, is under construction and expected to come online in late 2027.
