(Edinburg, TX, June 18, 2025) – U.S. Department of Agriculture has launched an $8.5 million New World Screwworm (NWS) sterile fly dispersal facility in South Texas and has announced a sweeping five-pronged plan (read below) to enhance USDA’s already robust ability to detect, control, and eliminate this pest.
According to the USDA, urgent actions are necessary to combat NWS and protect livestock, wildlife, pets, and sometimes humans from often deadly damage.
NWS has been eradicated from the United States for decades, however, recent detections in Mexico as far north as Oaxaca and Veracruz, about 700 miles from the U.S. border, led to the immediate suspension of live cattle, horse, and bison imports through U.S. ports of entry along the southern border as of May 11, 2025.
“We do not take lightly the threat NWS poses to our livestock industry, our economy, and our food supply chain. The United States government will use all resources at its disposal to push back NWS. We have the proven tools, strong domestic and international partnerships, and the grit needed to win this battle,” said USDA Secretary Brooke L. Rollins, who following the recent dispersal facility groundbreaking at the deactivated Moore Air Base near Mission, met with APHIS’ cattle fever tick riders along the Rio Grande.
Rollins, believes the tick riders, whom she called “amazing patriots,” will play a critical role in preventing the spread of wild disease.
The USDA’s Five-Pronged Plan to Address New World Screwworm reads thus:
1. Stop the Pest from Spreading in Mexico and Ensure We Are Full Partners in Eradication.
The USDA’s recent $21 million expenditure went toward renovating an existing fruit fly production facility in Metapa, Mexico, which will provide an additional 60-100 million sterile flies a week to stop the spread, on top of the over 100 million already produced in Panama. This will result in at least 160 million flies per week.
Over the last two weeks, USDA conducted a robust, in-person audit of Mexico’s animal health controls and will maintain close continual monitoring of these aspects moving forward and will make continuous improvements. These in-person visits have allowed a unique opportunity for APHIS to see first-hand the challenges and opportunities in Mexico toward combating NWS.
USDA is working closely with Mexico to improve its surveillance and detection of NWS, which includes but is not limited to regularly providing traps, lures, and technical expertise to Mexico.
2. Protect the U.S. Border at All Costs
USDA supports Mexico’s strategic trapping along its shared border and ensures regular reporting as an early warning intervention.
USDA will escalate communications and public outreach along the U.S.-Mexico border to create a “barrier zone of vigilance” and boost as close to real time as possible awareness of NWS.
APHIS cattle fever tick riders in collaboration with U.S. Customs & Border Protection and with state partners will intercept and treat stray and illegally introduced livestock.
3. To maximize readiness USDA will:
Partner with state animal health officials to update and finalize emergency management plans and support federal, state, and local responders in training on and practicing for a potential response.
Ensure sufficient NWS treatments and work to remove any federal regulatory hurdles for their use.
4. Take the Fight to the Screwworm
Because sterile NWS flies are one of the most important and proven tools for eradicating the pest, USDA will immediately begin building a sterile insect dispersal facility at Moore Air Base, which is set to be completed in 2025. This facility will have the capability to disperse sterile flies in Northern Mexico.
USDA is exploring all options to eradicate NWS, which includes potential expenditures in new technologies, new science, including possible plans to move forward with the design process of a domestic sterile fly production facility to compliment the new dispersal facility at Moore Air Base which has also been identified as the proposed location. The facility could boost domestic sterile fly production by up to 300 million flies per week and could complement current production that already exists in Panama and Mexico.
5. Innovate Path to Eradication
USDA is pursuing innovative research to improve sterile insect technology, exploring development of better traps and lures, exploring next generation NWS treatments, and assessing the potential use and practicality of additional strains or genetically modified versions of the pest as well as e-beam and other radiation technology for the production of sterile flies.
USDA will strengthen partnerships with land-grant universities in border states such as Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico to facilitate local training, trap deployment, surveillance validation, and stakeholder outreach as an initial manner.
Additionally, to solicit input from stakeholders and to best inform the finalization of future plans, USDA will hold four public listening sessions to get feedback on the following topics: sterile fly production technology, eradication tools and technologies aside from sterile fly production, the benefits and barriers including timelines and costs of enhanced domestic vs. international sterile fly production, and other innovative ideas. The Department of Agriculture has and remains committed to working in close coordination with federal, state, local and private sector partners to defeat NWS once and for all.
“If we do not take action now, the New World Screwworm will devastate Texas livestock and wildlife. Thank you, Secretary Rollins, for swiftly accepting my proposal to establish this critical facility in Hidalgo County. I am committed to working alongside the Administration to put Texas farmers and ranchers first and safeguard our agriculture industry,” said U.S. Representative Monica De La Cruz.
“Today’s policy changes represent a huge step forward to eradicating the screwworm and protecting American livestock — especially the opening of a U.S.-based eradication facility in South Texas. This facility has been one of my top priorities in Congress. From introducing the STOP Screwworms Act to leading funding efforts through my seat on the House Appropriations Committee, I am determined to do everything possible to eliminate this deadly parasite.” said U.S. Representative Tony Gonzales.
“This is a significant threat, and it’s critical we stay ahead of it. Texas has historically been at the forefront of American agriculture, and we are prepared to assist Secretary Rollins and the USDA in protecting our livestock, economy, and food supply. I look forward to implementing a robust, effective plan to protect Texas agriculture from this dangerous pest,” said Texas Commissioner of Agriculture Sid Miller.
January 1963 Photo from USDA Agricultural Research Service
“The only way to protect the American cattle herd from the devastating threat of New World Screwworm is by having a sufficient supply of sterile flies to push this pest away from our border,” said National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President Buck Wehrbein, a Nebraska cattleman. “To accomplish that, we need a sterile fly production facility of our own in the United States. Moore Air Base was previously part of our nation’s screwworm eradication effort in the 1960s, and now this base will be the cornerstone of our renewed fight against this parasite. NCBA, and state affiliate partners including the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association and Texas Cattle Feeders Association, have been pushing for a facility like this since the start of the year.”
