Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) on Monday expanded Texas’s emergency response to the New World screwworm, as the parasitic fly’s passage across the U.S. border threatens the state’s multibillion-dollar livestock industry.
Abbott directed Texas’s emergency operations center to activate to Level II, the “escalated response” level, to support the state’s screwworm response. Texas and federal partners at the Agriculture Department have worked for months to stave off the parasite’s arrival, as it worked its way up from South America and the Caribbean into Mexico. But on Wednesday, the first screwworm case in the United States was reported in La Pryor, Texas, prompting further action from officials.
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“I have activated the full use of all state resources to respond to the New World Screwworm threat,” Abbott said in a statement.
“The protection of our ranchers, livestock producers, deer breeders, and the Texas economy from this pest is a top priority,” he continued. “We have eradicated this pest before, and we will do it again in close cooperation with our federal partners. Texans should stay alert, check animals daily for wounds, and report any suspected cases immediately.”
The USDA said Monday there are four screwworm cases in the U.S., all based in Texas, including a calf in La Salle County and a dog in Andrews County. The agency also launched a Rapid Response account, and President Donald Trump named John Bellinger, a cattleman in Texas, to be senior adviser to the USDA’s screwworm program.
The flies spawn larvae that feed on flesh by latching onto open wounds or orifices such as eyes and ears. They primarily impact animals, posing a threat to Texas’s cattle, livestock, and ranching industry.
Officials are primarily relying on a sterile rly release technique to confine the outbreak. By releasing sterilized male flies into affected areas, those that pair with sterile males are unable to produce offspring, keeping the crisis in check, since female flies generally mate only once.
However, there is a critical shortage of sterile flies, and the U.S. is not projected to finish building its own sterile fly production facility until late 2027, triggering some concern.
“For more than a year, I have joined Texas ranchers in sounding the alarm while federal regulators have moved at a snail’s pace,” state Rep. Don McLaughlin warned last week. “Today, the threat is no longer hundreds of miles away. It is at our doorstep.”
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Amid rising fears, Abbott on Friday said he was pushing to accelerate construction for the new sterile fly facility planned for Moore Air Base in South Texas.
“This is likely to spread over the course of the summer. During winter months, it may kill off the flies or reduce their number, but we can’t make it through a second summer,” the governor said. “So I am pushing for the facility in the state of Texas, under construction right now, to be completed by May of next year, as opposed to November of next year.”
