USDA Launches $8.5M Screwworm Facility in Texas
Slice of Agriculture Team
06/23/2025
Key highlights
- USDA opens $8.5M fly dispersal facility at Moore Air Base
- New five-pronged plan enhances surveillance, response, and innovation
- U.S.-Mexico cooperation intensified to combat screwworm resurgence
- Cattle fever tick riders to bolster early detection on U.S. border
- Public listening sessions announced to refine eradication strategy
Source: USDA
Notable Quotes
“ The United States has defeated NWS before and we will do it again. ”
Brooke L. Rollins, Secretary of Agriculture at U.S. Department of Agriculture
“ Texas is on the front lines... We are grateful for the Trump Administration and Secretary Rollins’ continued support of Texas. ”
Greg Abbott, Governor at State of Texas
“ Sterile flies are the only known way to stop the reproduction and continued expansion of New World screwworm. ”
Stephen Diebel, First Vice President at Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association
Why This Matters
The resurgence of the New World screwworm in Mexico poses a direct threat to the U.S. livestock industry, wildlife, and food security. USDA's decisive action, including a new dispersal facility in Texas and a comprehensive five-pronged strategy, marks a pivotal escalation in efforts to prevent a devastating outbreak. The plan reinforces biosecurity along the southern border, invests in domestic sterile fly production, and fosters innovation to ensure the U.S. remains free of this deadly pest.
