Eradicating New World Screwworm in Texas

This week, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced a plan to open a $8.5 million sterile New World screwworm (NWS) fly dispersal facility at Moore Air Base in Edinburg, Texas, to help combat the NWS threat. I have joined my colleagues several times this year, urging action on this issue, and I am thrilled to see Secretary Rollins doing just that. In addition to the fly dispersal facility, Secretary Rollins also noted that they are looking at establishing a production facility at Moore Air Base over the next 3-4 years. 

The New World Screwworm had devastating impacts on livestock and ranchers, and we must do everything necessary to ensure it does not re-enter the United States. I've joined several of my colleagues in calling for urgent action to eradicate NWS and opening a facility to combat it, just like the one in Edinburg, Texas. I applaud Secretary Rollins' leadership on this issue and the immediate action she has taken. 

Read more about the NWS fly dispersal facility here.