Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, alongside Gov. Greg Abbott, announced the USDA’s plans to invest $750 million to build a sterile fly production facility in response to the New World screwworm, a pest that officials warn is a threat to Texas’ multi-billion-dollar cattle industry.
Native to South America, the flesh-eating pest reemerged in Mexico in November 2024, after being eradicated to a barrier zone located in the Darian Gap region in the late 1960s.
In early July, the USDA announced that a case of New World screwworm had been confirmed only 370 miles from Texas’ southern border.
“There’s representation here from the top of the Panhandle all the way to South Texas,” said Abbott at the Friday press conference. “And there’s a reason for that, because the issue we’re talking about today involves every square inch of the state of Texas, but also you’ll find out that it involves every square inch of the United States of America.”
Abbott explained that a screwworm infestation in Texas could result in billions of dollars in losses to the state’s cattle industry and potentially crush it, leading to higher beef prices for consumers nationwide.
“It endangers our livestock industry, and it threatens the stability of beef prices for consumers across America,” said Rollins.
Rollins said there are several action steps the federal government is taking, not only to eradicate the flesh-eating parasite but also to prevent its reappearance.
The USDA plans to invest $750 million to build a sterile fly production facility that will complement a dispersal facility already under construction near Edinburg at Moore Air Force Base.
The new facility is estimated to produce 300 billion sterile flies per week, tripling the current output and eliminating dependence on Panama and Mexico. The facility works by producing millions of sterile male screwworm flies, which are released to mate with wild females, preventing reproduction and gradually eradicating the pest population.
Up to an additional $100 million has also been allocated for the deployment and use of new technology that can assist in accelerating the response to the pest.
Rollins also announced the increased use of mounted patrol officers, or tick riders, and specialty-trained beagles for border surveillance of screwworm in wildlife.
“And finally, because pests don’t care where the border is, we are working directly with Mexico, perhaps in a way never seen before,” said Rollins. “My counterpart, Secretary Berdegué, and I are in contact almost daily on this issue.”
In June, Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Texas Animal Health Commission to establish a joint Texas New World Screwworm Response Team.
