Latest news with #NewWorld
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
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. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 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. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 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.
The Hill
3 hours ago
- Health
- The Hill
Lawmakers, USDA seek to combat New World screwworm along the southern border
Just a few hundred miles from our southern border, a flesh-eating parasite has been detected in Mexico, putting America's farmers and ranchers on watch. The New World screwworm is a parasitic fly that lays its eggs in the open wounds of livestock, primarily cattle and sheep, deer and other wildlife, and on rare occasions, humans and pets. Once hatched, the fly's larvae feed on tissue, leading to severe infection and often death. If this parasite were ever to reach the United States, our agricultural economy and supply chain would be in serious trouble. That is not a hypothetical scenario. Flare-ups have occurred within our borders in the past, costing American producers hundreds of millions of dollars. Mrs. D., a Central Texas rancher, remembers all too well the devastation of the last major screwworm outbreak in the United States that took place during the 1960s. 'Every day from dawn to dusk, my husband would ride horseback to find animals affected by the screwworm. We worked tirelessly to ensure our livestock survived. We had to make sure our calves were born in the winter to stand a chance against the fly that caused the screwworm because the flies are not as prevalent in the cold weather.' Although screwworms were eradicated from the U.S. in the 1960s using a sterilized fly technique, all the signs are there for a repeat scenario. As of March of this year, 369 confirmed cases had been reported in Mexico, creeping north from its confinement zone in Central America and towards the United States. As the representative of the largest congressional district in Texas, I have heard repeatedly from my constituents that a reemergence of New World screwworm is their biggest concern. Texas tops the charts for beef production in the nation, and some of my district's counties have more sheep and goats than live human beings. There is no doubt that a screwworm outbreak would be absolutely devastating to communities like mine. I am not alone in these concerns. In March, 43 of my colleagues joined me in bipartisan outreach to the Agriculture Department to offer congressional support on screwworm eradication efforts. I also introduced the STOP Screwworms Act along with 31 of my House colleagues and Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M). This important legislation would establish a sterile fly production facility in the U.S. — a critical step in our fight to shore up our domestic infrastructure against this deadly parasite. Fortunately, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has been incredibly proactive on this issue. This week, I joined Rollins to announce the launch of an $8.5 million sterile New World screwworm fly dispersal facility in South Texas and a five-pronged plan to enhance the Agriculture Department's ability to detect, control and eliminate this pest. Per the Agriculture Department, the facility in South Texas is expected to be ready within six months. President Trump and Rollins have made protecting America's agriculture industry a priority. Together, we will fight to codify executive branch wins into long-term legislative solutions. Tony Gonzales represents Texas's 23rd District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He serves as the chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Conference and represents the largest congressional district in Texas, spanning over 800 miles of the southern border.
7 hours ago
- Politics
US plans to open fly factory in Texas as part of fight against flesh-eating parasite
The U.S. government plans to open what amounts to a fly factory by the end of the year, announcing its intent Wednesday to breed millions of the insects in Texas near the border with Mexico as part of an effort to keep a flesh-eating parasite from infesting American cattle. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said sterile male New World screwworm flies bred at the $8.5 million facility would be released into the wild to mate with females and prevent them from laying the eggs in wounds that become flesh-eating larva. It would be only the second facility for breeding such flies in the Western Hemisphere, joining one in Panama that had largely kept the flies from migrating further north until last year. The fly's appearance in southern Mexico late last year has worried agriculture and cattle industry officials and veterinarians' groups, and the U.S. last month suspended imports of live cattle, horses and bison from Mexico. The U.S. Department of Agriculture also plans to spend $21 million to convert a facility for breeding fruit flies near Mexico's southernmost border with Guatemala into one for breeding sterile New World screwworm flies, but it won't be ready for 18 months. The U.S. bred and released sterile New World screwworm flies into the wild decades ago, and it was largely banished from the country in the 1960s. Previously, it had been an annual scourge for cattle ranchers and dairy farmers, particularly in the Southeast. 'The United States has defeated NWS before, and we will do it again," Rollins said. She held a news conference at Moore Air Base with Texas and cattle industry officials. Mexican Agriculture Secretary Julio Berdegué said in a post Wednesday on X that Rollins' plan 'seems to us a positive step in different aspects, it will strengthen the joint Mexico-US work.' 'We trust the enthusiasm for cooperation that Secretary Rollins mentioned, and based on objective results and the reports from the USDA mission visiting us this week, we will be able to restart exports of our cattle as soon as possible," he said. The new Texas facility would be built at Moore Air Base, less than 20 miles (32 kilometers) from the Mexico border, and the USDA said it would also consider building a companion fly-breeding center there so that up to 300 million flies could be produced a week. The Panama facility breeds about 100 million a week, and the one in Mexico could breed as many as 100 million as well. The USDA has said the flies have been detected as close as 700 miles (1,127 kilometers) from the U.S. border, and some U.S. agriculture and cattle industry officials have worried that if the migration isn't checked, the flies could reach the border by the end of summer. Pressure from the U.S. prompted Mexico to step up efforts to control the fly's spread. Buck Wehrbein, a Nebraska cattle rancher and the president of the National Beef Cattlemen's Association, said Moore Air Base had a fly-breeding facility in the 1960s that helped eradicate it in the U.S. While there are treatments for New World screwworm infestations, cattle industry officials still worry that farmers and ranchers could see huge economic losses. They, agriculture officials and scientists also said the larva can infest any mammal, including household pets, and it has occasionally been seen in humans. '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,' Wehrbein said. Texas officials said they are grateful that the U.S. is taking the screwworm threat serious and pleased with the plans for combating it, including the new facility in Texas. Officials in other states are watching the fly's migration as well and see having sterile male flies outnumber the non-sterile one is crucial to checking its migration. 'We have a real concern about wildlife because of their ability to cross the border unchecked somewhat, whether it's feral pigs, deer, wild cattle, whatever the case may be,' Kansas Animal Health Commissioner Justin Smith said in a recent interview. 'There's an opportunity for them to be our exposure risk.'
Bloomberg
10 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
HK Builder New World Nears $11 Billion Loan Refinancing Deal
New World Development Co., one of Hong Kong's most indebted builders, is close to securing a crucial HK$87.5 billion ($11.1 billion) loan refinancing deal, according to people familiar with the matter, the culmination of months of negotiations as it raced to secure a lifeline amid a deepening liquidity crisis. New World has received preliminary consent from all the lenders for the refinancing deal, even from those that had previously resisted, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing private matters. A few of the banks are still working on formal written commitments, the people added.
New York Post
17 hours ago
- Science
- New York Post
US government to build $8.5M fly breeding factory to mass produce millions of flesh-eating parasites — here's why
Fighting flies with flies. The US government will be opening a fly factory in Texas to mass produce millions of infertile flies as part of a sterilization campaign aimed at eliminating a flesh-eating parasite with a penchant for beef. The $8.5 million breeding facility, just 20 miles from the US-Mexico border, will focus on the New World screwworm flies wreaking havoc in Mexico after an outbreak last year, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced Wednesday. Advertisement 5 The United States government will open a fly breeding facility in Texas. via REUTERS The factory will propagate millions of sterile male screwworm flies to be released into the wild. The male flies will seek out fertile females and help prevent them from laying eggs, which they frequently deposit in cows' open wounds. 5 Female New World screwworm flies lay eggs that often produce flesh-eating larvae. AP When left to fester, flesh-eating larvae burst from the eggs and can decimate entire herds of cows. Advertisement While the flesh-eating parasites are treatable, they can spread to virtually any mammal, including household pets and, in some cases, humans. The Texas facility will mark the second of its kind on the Western Hemisphere. Up until now, Panama held the sole factory that helped prevent the screwworm flies from migrating north until last year. Two more fly breeding facilities are on the horizon, too. Advertisement 5 Screwworm flies were first pushed out of the US in the 1960s. AP The Department of Agriculture also plans to spend $21 million to convert a separate facility that breeds fruit flies near Mexico's southern border with Guatemala into a screwworm fly factory that won't be complete until the end of 2026. The USDA added that it is considering constructing a companion breeding center near the Texas one that would produce up to 300 million flies a week. The US tackled a prior screwworm fly issue during the 20th century through the same method and eventually eradicated the gnarly pests from the country in the 1960s. Advertisement Before that, screwworms were a persistent issue for cattle farmers in the Southeast. 5 Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins is confident the US will 'defeat NWS' again. X /@BeefUSA 'The United States has defeated [the New World screwworm] before, and we will do it again,' Rollins assured at a news conference Wednesday. Mexican Agriculture Secretary Julio Berdegué celebrated the multi-nation collaboration in a post on X and called Rollins' plan 'a positive step in different aspects' that 'will strengthen the joint Mexico-US work.' 'We trust the enthusiasm for cooperation that Secretary Rollins mentioned, and based on objective results and the reports from the USDA mission visiting us this week, we will be able to restart exports of our cattle as soon as possible,' he wrote. 5 The flesh-eating parasites can spread to virtually any mammal, including humans. REUTERS The USDA warned that the flies have been detected just 700 miles away from the US border. Some agriculture and cattle industry officials in the US worry that the swarms could be at the border by the end of the summer — right when calving season starts. With Post wires
