USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins announced a major escalation in the fight against the New World Screwworm (NWS), launching an $8.5 million sterile fly dispersal facility in southern Texas and unveiling a sweeping five-part plan to boost surveillance, response and eradication efforts at the border and beyond.
Highlights of USDA’s Five-Pronged Plan:
- Stop the Pest in Mexico:
- Expanded sterile fly production with $21 million invested in Mexico, increasing capacity to over 160 million sterile flies per week.
- Direct USDA oversight and continuous auditing of Mexico’s animal health controls.
- Ongoing technical assistance and materials for surveillance and detection.
- Fortify the U.S. Border:
- Intensified trapping, monitoring and public outreach along the border.
- APHIS tick riders, in partnership with Customs and Border Protection, to intercept and treat stray livestock.
- Maximize U.S. Readiness:
- Updated emergency management plans in cooperation with state and local authorities.
- Regulatory streamlining to accelerate response and treatment deployment.
- Take the Fight to the Screwworm:
- Immediate construction of a domestic sterile insect dispersal facility at Moore Air Base in southern Texas, with capacity to serve both sides of the border and plans for even greater domestic sterile fly production at the site.
- Drive Innovation for Eradication:
- Investment in new research, technologies, and improved sterile insect techniques — including genetically modified strains and advanced irradiation methods.
- Enhanced cooperation with land-grant universities and expanded local training and surveillance.
USDA will also hold public listening sessions to gather input on sterile fly production, eradication tools and innovative solutions.