US Edition
Sterile Fly Facility Breaks Ground in Fight Against New World Screwworm
The USDA says the South Texas plant will boost domestic sterile fly production and help stop the New World screwworm before it reaches U.S. livestock.
- U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, and Lieutenant General William H. Butch Graham led a groundbreaking for a sterile fly production facility at Moore Air Base in Edinburg, Texas.
- Officials describe the New World screwworm as a "direct and imminent threat" to livestock and wildlife, prompting construction of the facility as a defensive line to prevent northward spread.
- By producing sterile flies to disrupt reproduction, the facility will initially reach 100 million flies per week by November 2027, with capacity scaling to 300 million by the end of 2028.
- The USDA invested $21 million to modernize a facility in Metapa, Mexico, expected to be operational in summer 2026, complementing the Texas site to prevent pest spread northward.
- Federal officials urge producers to maintain biosecurity plans and obtain premise identification numbers now, ensuring readiness should the parasite breach current containment zones.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Sterile fly facility breaks ground in fight against New World screwworm
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, came to the South Texas border for the groundbreaking Friday of a multi-million dollar facility being built to eradicate the New World screwworm.
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USDA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Break Ground on New Texas Sterile Fly Production Facility
According to a USDA press release, “Today, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins and Lieutenant General William H. “Butch” Graham, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers commanding general, led the groundbreaking for the new sterile fly production facility at Moore…
USDA Groundbreaking Marks Step Toward Eradication of New World Screwworm Threat
U.S. officials are taking prevention measures as New World screwworm cases in Mexico reach over 20,000, prompting border closures and heightened biosecurity. A new USDA sterile fly production facility in Texas aims to combat and ultimately eradicate the pest.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture in Edinburg for sterile fly groundbreaking facility
EDINBURG, Texas (ValleyCentral) — U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins is in Edinburg this morning to talk about the New World Screwworm and its effects on the agricultural community. The screwworm has prompted the creation of a sterile fly production facility by the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Today, Rollins will participate [...]
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