With more nations now banned from sending cattle to the U.S., ag officials say changes are on the way.
During a lengthy hearing last week before the House Ag Committee, Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins said the Screwworm is a top priority for the Department. She testified that the last time it hit U.S. herds, it took three decades for the industry to recover, a move she says our nation’s cattle producers cannot afford.
USDA’s APHIS has added El Salvador and Belize to the list of regions affected by New World Screwworm after confirmed outbreaks in both countries. As a result, imports of horses, ruminants, swine, and dogs from these countries into the U.S. are restricted unless the animals are inspected and treated for Screwworm. Secretary Rollins says USDA will be taking more steps in the coming weeks, aimed at a more aggressive approach.
Texas Farm Bureau takes us behind the scenes at USDA’s sterile fly facility, considered a first line of defense against New World Screwworm, a fight Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller fears is “futile.”
The Texas Agriculture Commissioner says crews are still working to contain fires while farmers and ranchers begin assessing damage.
USDA officials are increasing surveillance and sterile fly dispersal efforts as New World screwworm cases continue growing in Mexico near the Texas border.
The New World Screwworm case was detected roughly 119 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border — at nearly the same latitude as Zapata, Texas.
The spending bill keeps animal health and traceability funding in place while trimming several other USDA accounts.
The Texas Department of Agriculture confirmed a New World Screwworm case about 119 miles from the Texas border, near Zapata, Texas, and north and west of the Rio Grande Valley.
