Rollins presses ahead with latest initiative on New World screwworm

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins on June 18 announced an $8.5 million sterile New World screwworm fly dispersal facility in south Texas and a five-pronged plan to enhance the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s ability to detect, control and eliminate the pest.

In a media release, the USDA noted actions are necessary to finish the fight against NWS and protect the United States.

NWS is a devastating pest that causes serious and often deadly damage to livestock, wildlife, pets, and in rare cases, humans. While NWS has been eradicated from the U.S. for decades, recent detections in Mexico as far north as Oaxaca and Veracruz, about 700 miles away 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 on May 11.

“The United States has defeated NWS before and we will do it again,” Rollins said. “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, and today’s announcement of a domestic strategy to bolster our border defenses is just the beginning. We have the proven tools, strong domestic and international partnerships, and the grit needed to win this battle.”

Following the dispersal facility groundbreaking at Moore Air Base in Edinburg, Texas, Rollins was to meet with USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s cattle fever tick riders along the Rio Grande River. The secretary was to see firsthand the critical role tick riders provide for identifying wildlife and preventing the spread of wild disease. In the event NWS advances northward into the U.S., the riders will play a crucial role in spotting and combatting the pest.

Five-prong approach

The first prong is to stop the pest from spreading in Mexico and ensure the U.S. and Mexico are full partners in eradication that includes in-person visits and audits.

The USDA recently committed $21 million to renovate an existing fruit fly production facility in Metapa, Mexico, which will provide an additional 60 to 100 million sterile flies a week to stop the spread on top of the more than 100 million produced in Panama.

The second prong calls for protecting the U.S. border at all costs. That includes the USDA supporting Mexico’s strategic trapping at the shared border with regular reports and an early warning intervention, if warranted. Besides the creation of a barrier zone of vigilance, APHIS cattle fever tick riders in collaboration with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and with state partners will intercept and treat stray and illegally introduced livestock.

The third prong is to maximize readiness by partnering with state animal health officials to update and finalize emergency management plans and support federal, state and local responders. The USDA will ensure sufficient NWS treatments and will work to remove any federal regulatory hurdles.

The fourth prong is to take the fight to the screwworm, which includes building a sterile inspect dispersal facility at Moore Air Base, which will be completed in 2025 and the facility will have the capacity to disperse sterile flies in northern Mexico. The USDA is also committed to potentially investing in new technologies, science and facilities that could boost domestic sterile fly production up to 300 million flies per week to complement existing production in Panama and Mexico.

The final prong calls for innovation on traps and lures, treatments and assessing the potential use and practicality of additional strains or genetically modified versions of the pest as well as electron beam processing and other radiation technology for the production of sterile flies. The USDA plans to strengthen partnerships with land-grant universities in Texas, Arizona and New Mexico.

Stakeholder input

Additionally, the plan calls for input from stakeholders and to find the best way to inform the finalization of future plans. Plus, the 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 action was applauded by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the state’s congressional delegation. The beef industry also applauded the move.

“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.”