FORT WORTH, Texas (RFD-TV) — With cases of New World Screwworm on the rise in Mexico, Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller is calling for more immediate action from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Miller explained that he is willing to accept some environmental “collateral damage” to protect American livestock and is instituting some of these measures across Texas on his own accord.
“Texas, hey, we’re drawing a line to sand,” Miller said. “We’re very serious about keeping this screwworm out. We’re going to trap these pests. We’re going to monitor them. Of course, you know, I’m the only one saying we need to put out the fly bait.”
While Miller may feel alone in the fight — he is not the only livestock and animal health expert calling on ag officials to incorporate the same techniques used to cull spreads of screwworm in the 1980s.
“I still haven’t gotten buy-in from the USDA to do a fly bait,” Miller continued. “If we put out the fly bait, we can wipe out the screwworm in Mexico in 90 days, but for some reason, they’re very reluctant to do that. They tell me that it’s environmentally unsound because it will kill the good flies.”
Miller rebuffs the USDA’s hesitations, questioning why these alleged environmental concerns are stalling the Department’s major priority to protect the struggling U.S. cattle herd from the increasingly imminent threat of screwworm.
“Good flies, is that like a good fire ant? I don’t know what a good fly is,” Miller said. “I don’t know if they’re afraid to kill house flies or stable flies, but I’m ready to kill the screwworm fly.”
While his plea for a return to these historically successful biosecurity measures on the federal level has not yet been acknowledged, Miller says the Texas Department of Agriculture has deployed traps at livestock export facilities all across Texas.
“We even have one at the airport in Houston,” said Miller, explaining how the state’s measures against New World Screwworm are not just focused along the Southern border, but across the Lone Star State. Houston sits more than 300 miles from the Rio Grande.
“We’re going to put those traps up at all of those areas,” Miller said. “We have personnel there anyway, so it just makes sense to put up the traps.”
He said traps and bait, along with the sterile fly programs, are critical tools for containing and preventing outbreaks before it is too late.
“The thing that, I think, is most important — and the USDA is not doing — is putting up traps around our cruise ship terminals,” Miller said. “My greatest fear is that some of these flies will hitchhike, and those ships come back in every day at Corpus Christi and Galveston.”
In an exclusive statement to RFD-TV News in response to this story, a USDA Spokesperson said:
“USDA, in conjunction with the entire federal government, has launched the most aggressive plan to combat the New World Screwworm in the history of our country, including committing up to $750 million to build a sterile fly production facility at the Southern Border at Moore Air Base. Sterile flies are the most tried and true way to ensure the U.S. is protected from this pest. In the meantime, as the facility is built, USDA is launching up to $100 million to fund innovations that can be rapidly deployed over the next year to two years. In addition, USDA is making bold and impactful progress with Mexico on improving surveillance, trapping, increasing fly production, and putting in place movement restrictions in infected areas.
“While this pest didn’t get close to the U.S. overnight, and we won’t defeat it overnight, it will take all of us at the federal and state level working together to combat it.
“Following comments on the effectiveness of USDA’s plan to combat NWS and after many months of good faith collaboration with Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller on potential “solutions”, USDA can no longer keep wasting its time and personnel to deploy Commissioner Miller’s infamous traps which USDA has deployed, tested, and has proven ineffective. In one month, USDA’s traps in Panama caught thousands of New World Screwworm flies - Commissioner Miller’s traps caught ONE single NWS fly. When presented with the results of his traps underperforming, Commissioner Miller indicated USDA staff should “paint them black” to which USDA declined.
“Commissioner Miller is blatantly disregarding tried and true NWS offensive strategies in favor of clickbait publicity stunts.
“USDA will remain focused on our five-pronged plan to boost sterile fly production and dispersal and work with Mexico to increase real time surveillance in Latin America. Real actions that are delivering results. Never before has the U.S. been this involved on the ground in Mexico. This is a national security issue, and it has the full attention of the Trump administration.
“USDA looks forward to working with any and all partners who seek to find REAL solutions to defeat the NWS.
