Key facts
- Cattlemen are using drones and increasing inspections to protect herds from the New World screwworm.
- The USDA is restarting sterile-fly production to combat the outbreak.
- The U.S. faces a shortage of sterile flies, with only one operational facility in Panama producing 100 million flies weekly.
- The USDA is investing $21 million to renovate a facility in Mexico and is building a new one in Texas.
- Staffing reductions at the USDA, including over 2,000 employees lost by APHIS, are cited as a challenge to response efforts.
The United States is facing a resurgence of the New World screwworm, a parasitic fly that was largely eradicated decades ago. Cattlemen are employing new strategies, including drones and increased inspections, to protect their livestock. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is reactivating its sterile-fly production program, a method used since the 1950s, to combat the pest's northward movement.
Officials acknowledge the threat but assert preparedness, citing years of tracking the fly and a "playbook" for response. The administration has invested over $1 billion, fast-tracked drug approvals, and expanded surveillance. However, significant staffing reductions within the USDA, particularly the Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service (APHIS), have raised concerns among critics about the effectiveness of the response.
The primary strategy involves mass-producing and releasing sterile male screwworms to mate with wild females, thereby reducing the population. This method is considered precise and environmentally friendly. However, the U.S. currently faces a shortage of sterile flies because maintenance of production facilities was reduced after the pest was pushed south. Only one facility in Panama remains operational, producing a fraction of the needed weekly output.
To address this, the USDA is investing $21 million to renovate a facility in Mexico and has broken ground on a new facility in Texas, though it will not be operational for some time. While there are enough sterile flies to manage the current spread in Texas, officials acknowledge they do not have enough for a complete eradication push.