Why is US breeding flies in Texas, near Mexico border
The U.S. government has announced plans to open a facility in Texas by year's end to breed millions of sterile
New World screwworm
flies, aiming to protect American cattle from a flesh-eating parasite that has reemerged in southern Mexico.
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The $8.5 million facility, to be built at Moore Air Base near the Mexican border, will release sterile male flies to mate with females, preventing the production of larvae that feed on living tissue.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, speaking at a news conference alongside Texas and cattle industry officials, emphasized the urgency of the initiative. 'The United States has defeated NWS before, and we will do it again,' she said, referencing the successful eradication of the screwworm in the U.S.
during the 1960s. The new facility will be only the second of its kind in the Western Hemisphere, joining one in Panama that produces about 100 million
sterile flies
weekly.
The screwworm's recent spread in southern Mexico, detected as close as 700 miles from the U.S. border, prompted the U.S. to suspend imports of live cattle, horses, and bison from Mexico last month. The U.S. Department of Agriculture also plans to invest $21 million to convert a fruit fly-breeding facility near Mexico's border with Guatemala into one for screwworm flies, though it won't be operational for 18 months.
The Texas facility could produce up to 300 million flies per week, significantly bolstering efforts to curb the parasite's northward migration.
The National Beef Cattlemen's Association president, Buck Wehrbein, underscored the economic threat to ranchers, noting that Moore Air Base previously hosted a similar facility in the 1960s. '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,' he said.
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Mexican Agriculture Secretary Julio Berdegué welcomed the plan, calling it a 'positive step' for U.S.-Mexico cooperation in a post on X. He expressed optimism that cattle exports could resume soon based on USDA inspections.
The screwworm, which can infest any mammal including pets and occasionally humans, poses a broader risk. Kansas Animal Health Commissioner Justin Smith highlighted concerns about wildlife, such as feral pigs and deer, potentially carrying the parasite across borders unchecked.
Texas officials praised the federal response, while other states remain vigilant, emphasizing the need for sterile flies to outnumber fertile ones to halt the pest's advance.
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