New efforts are underway in Mexico to bring the New World Screwworm under control. USDA is spending money to breed sterile flies, a popular control method for the pest.
It is welcome news to producers in cattle country, including Texas, where ag economists warn the costs of a U.S.-based outbreak would be detrimental.
“For Texas alone in 2024, if we had New World Screwworm at the rates that we saw in the past, it’d be $1.8 billion to the Texas economy and about $732 million just for the producers,” said Elliott Dennis.
Dennis says the pest can wipe out as much as 60 percent of an animal’s value.
Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins is also weighing in, and she echoes the recent warnings.
“The NWS is a scourge that is making its way from Latin America up through Mexico, and if it hits America, it is going to be absolutely devastating to our cattle industry. At the top of the list, frankly. So a lot of our industries.”
Mexico and the U.S. are renovating an existing fruit fly facility. Once running, it will produce up to 100 million sterile flies each week. This kind of population control is a popular form of eradication.
Cattle imports from Mexico have been suspended since earlier this month. However, USDA’s Chief Veterinarian says they could resume by the end of the year. She tells Reuters that the Department will not resume imports until they are comfortable with Mexico’s surveillance. Right now, imports are suspended indefinitely on a monthly basis.
The facility will increase the range of sterile fly release and bolster preparedness for New World Screwworm.
November 13, 2025 01:15 PM
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November 13, 2025 10:33 AM
Tight cattle supplies keep prices high for ranchers, but policy shifts, export barriers, and packer losses signal a volatile road ahead for the beef supply chain.
November 07, 2025 11:02 AM
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Texas Cattle Feeders Association Chairman Robby Kirkland explains how the ongoing U.S.-Mexico border closure impacts feed yards that rely on Mexican cattle due to the New World Screwworm.
November 06, 2025 12:01 PM
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The Sheinbaum–Rollins meeting signals progress, but the focus remains on fully containing screwworm before cross-border movement resumes.
November 05, 2025 10:18 AM
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An import lag for ground beef will likely look different than last year’s egg shortage. The difference comes down to biosecurity and market flexibility.
November 03, 2025 12:07 PM
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Texas A&M livestock economist Dr. David Anderson joins Tony St. James to discuss the geopolitical tensions and U.S.-Mexico border closure that are leading to sharp swings in the cattle market.
October 31, 2025 12:50 PM
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Expect firm calf and fed-cattle prices — pair selective heifer retention with prudent hedging and liquidity to bridge rebuilding costs.
October 17, 2025 04:54 PM
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Peel says Mexico has a much greater capability to expand its beef industry than it did 20 or 30 years ago in terms of its feeding and packing infrastructure.
October 16, 2025 03:59 PM
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