(The Center Square) – A deadly parasitic fly, the New World Screwworm, is heading toward Texas. It’s believed to be 370 miles south, flying north through Mexico from Central America. It has the potential to wipe out Texas cattle in a state that produces the most cattle in the U.S. as well as livestock in other states.
In June, the NWS was detected 700 miles south, according to USDA estimates. In May, the USDA closed the US-Mexican border to livestock imports. One month later, the NWS was detected roughly 370 miles south of Texas. If not stopped, the NWS could reach Texas in roughly a month.
As a result, 94 House members, led by state Rep. Ryan Guillen, R-Rio Grande City, called on Gov. Greg Abbott to add NWS preventative measures to the special session agenda.
The NWS larvae (maggots) burrow into (screw in) wounds of livestock, pets, wildlife and sometimes people. The more maggots, the more the animal is eaten alive. The parasite is endemic in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and in South American countries. A current outbreak has been reported in Central America and Mexico.
The NWS was eradicated in the U.S. in the 1960s, experienced an isolated outbreak in the 1970s, and was ultimately eliminated after sterile flies were released, along with a Swormlure-2 attractant (synthetic bait), and applying the insecticide Dichlorvos.
In June, the USDA launched an $8.5 million sterile NWS fly dispersal facility at an unused airbase near Mission, Texas, and announced a five-pronged plan to release hundreds of millions of sterile flies. The USDA spent $21 million renovating a fruit fly production facility in Metapa, Mexico, to provide an additional 60-100 million sterile flies a week. This is in addition to more than 100 million produced in Panama.
Despite those efforts, the NWS halved its distance to Texas in just a month.
In June, Abbott directed the Texas Animal Health Commission and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to establish a response team to lead Texas’ prevention and response efforts and ensure Texans remain “informed, prepared, and aligned to prevent the re-emergence of this destructive parasite.”
In July, the USDA and Texas Department of Agriculture reintroduce Swormlure-5, along with insecticides like Dichlorvos, to proactively kill the NWS.
Realizing the urgency of the situation, a House Agriculture and Livestock Committee held a hearing last month to discuss solutions. Phil Kaufman, head of Texas A&M’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ Department of Entomology, told lawmakers if the NWS made it to Texas, livestock losses alone would top $2 billion, the hunting/game industry could lose more than $9 billion.
Guillen, who chaired the committee, led a coalition of 94 House Republicans and Democrats calling on Abbott to add NWS protections to the special session agenda. They point out that Texas’ livestock and wildlife industries contribute more than $40 billion annually to the state economy and support thousands of jobs in rural communities. Economic and livelihood losses would be catastrophic, necessitating urgent legislative response.
This month, the Texas Farm Bureau and more than 175 other state and national livestock, dairy, wildlife, agribusiness and landowner organizations nationwide called on the USDA to implement stronger protections and fully fund and immediately construct a domestic sterile fly production facility in south Texas.
“We cannot afford to wait. The New World screwworm is advancing, and the consequences of inaction are staggering,” TFB President Russell Boening said. “A domestic sterile fly production facility is not just a strategic priority. It’s an emergency necessity. Our coalition is united, and we are ready to support USDA in taking this critical next step to protect our livestock, wildlife and rural economies.”
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, offered an amendment in the appropriations process to fund and build a sterile fly disbursal facility in Hidalgo, Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley. While the cost is estimated to be roughly $300 million, he said the cost “pales in comparison with the cost of not doing anything to eradicate this threat.”
Despite federal efforts, Texas cannot afford to wait, Guillen’s coalition argues.
“Just as Texas has taken the lead in securing our border in the absence of previous federal action, we must now demonstrate the same urgency to protect our agricultural industries,” the lawmakers told Abbott. “Including screw worm prevention and response to the special sessions call would allow Texas to take proactive measures – strengthening surveillance, supporting eradication protocols, and safeguarding the industries that are vital to our economy and way of life.”
