MISSION, Texas (RFD News) — South Texas leaders say they are working to stop the spread of New World screwworm, warning the pest could cost the state’s cattle industry billions of dollars.
U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz said educating the public remains a key part of the response and that Texas, USDA and the Department of Homeland Security are also working together by using thermal drones and increasing surveillance to detect New World screwworm.
RFD News also reached out to U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, who issued the following statement:
“The USDA and the State of Texas are responding to the New World screwworm threat, and I appreciate the work being done on the ground. At the same time, we have to be honest about what has made this challenge harder: DOGE made large cuts to the USDA. Those reductions weakened the agency’s ability to detect and respond to threats like this one by reducing personnel and resources that are critical to preventing and responding to an outbreak.”
De La Cruz said USDA and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins are also working to open a sterile fly facility in Mission, Texas, ahead of its scheduled November 2027 opening. She said the facility is expected to release 300 million sterile flies each week once operational.
She also said leaders are exploring public-private partnerships to develop genetically engineered flies that could help combat New World screwworm.
Earlier this year, Rollins announced the New World Screwworm Grand Challenge, an initiative funding new technologies to help combat the pest.
Forty projects will share more than $100 million as USDA looks to strengthen detection, eradication and response efforts.
USDA’s Dudley Hoskins said the selected projects range from testing new sterilization technologies and developing additional tools to support the agency’s response.
“These are the ideas, the innovations, the technologies that will help every part of that. It’s from modernizing predictive modeling, different factors and knowing where and how the screwworms may be and where they’re moving to help us get the highest best use out of our sterile flies. There’s different technologies that we’re working to see if we can validate them for screwworm sterilization, including X-ray and e-beam. And that work has been going on with our partners at Texas A&M and University of Florida. Then there’s also just a range of different tools on lures, trapping, therapeutics, and treatments, everything that could help bolster our response and readiness.”
The Grand Challenge focuses on four key areas, including sterile flies, traps, therapeutics and response efforts
