WASHINGTON, D.C. (RFD-TV) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) opened a new sterile fly dispersal facility in Tampico, Mexico — a significant step in containing New World screwworm and protecting livestock across rural America.
The new site allows aerial release of sterile flies across northeastern Mexico, expanding coverage into Nuevo León and improving the ability to respond quickly if cases move north. Because screwworm spreads rapidly and can devastate cattle, wildlife, and other livestock, saturating large areas with sterile flies is central to the USDA’s long-running suppression strategy.
The expansion comes as USDA continues to disperse 100 million sterile flies per week in Mexico, but until now, aerial operations have been limited to southern Mexico. With Tampico now online, APHIS can shift away from slower ground-release chambers in northern regions and deliver more consistent coverage. USDA says the move is part of a broader five-part plan that includes stronger cross-border coordination with Mexico’s SENASICA, expanded surveillance, and active case control.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins highlighted that recent detections in Nuevo León — 70 and 170 miles from Texas — were contained quickly, and no active cases remain.
Secretary Rollins met with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and ag leaders in Mexico City in late October to discuss reopening the U.S.-Mexico border to cattle imports. While the meeting went well, Sec. Rollins signaled that it was still too delicate a situation to move forward yet.
Looking ahead, USDA is investing heavily in production and deployment capacity. Mexico is renovating a facility to double sterile fly production, while the United States is building a new dispersal facility at Moore Air Base in Edinburg, Texas, accelerating work on a full-scale production plant capable of producing 300 million sterile flies weekly. Together, the projects aim to ensure a rapid response if screwworm pressure rises near the border.
Premieres Tue, 11/5/24 – 9 PM ET | 8 PM CT | 7 PM MT | 6 PM PT
