Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins shared an update this week on USDA’s ongoing partnership with Mexico to combat New World screwworm (NWS). As of May 11, USDA has suspended Mexican cattle, horse and bison imports because NWS was found in Mexico within 700 miles of the border.
Rollins announced Tuesday USDA is investing $21 million to renovate an existing fruit fly production facility in Metapa, Mexico, to further the long-term goal of eradicating NWS. When operational, the facility will produce 60 million to 100 million additional sterile NWS flies weekly to push the population further south in Mexico. Given the geographic spread of NWS, this additional production capacity will be critical to USDA’s response.
Also on Tuesday, Rollins had a call with her Mexico counterpart, Secretary Julio Berdegué, to discuss the ongoing NWS threat and actions taken by both countries to contain the threat south of the U.S. border.
“Our partnership with Mexico is crucial in making this effort a success,” Rollins says. “We are continuing to work closely with Mexico to push NWS away from the United States and out of Mexico. The investment I am announcing today is one of many efforts my team is making around the clock to protect our animals, our farm economy and the security of our nation’s food supply.”
Current restrictions on live animal imports from Mexico remain in place, and as previously announced, USDA will continue to evaluate the current suspension every 30 days.
The USDA press release says the agency and its partners have used sterile insect technique, or SIT, along with other strategies, such as intense surveillance and import controls, for decades to eradicate and effectively keep NWS at bay. Currently, U.S.-supported sterile insect rearing and dispersal operations in Mexico and Central America have been operating at full production capacity, with up to 44 flights a week releasing 100 million sterile flies.
False NWS Report Affects Market
On Tuesday, cattle markets reacted strongly to what USDA says was a false report claiming NWS had been found in the U.S. The erroneous report claimed it had been detected in Missouri.
USDA says if NWS is detected in the U.S, it will rapidly respond in coordination with state partners to eliminate it.
How to Detect NWS
What should producers be looking for? Officials say livestock owners should inspect animals for wounds and larvae within the wounds. Clinical signs include head shaking, loss of appetite, a foul smell (similar to decay), the presence of fly larvae and isolation. If larvae are detected, they must be reported to state officials.
To learn more about NWS, see the newly updated Texas A&M AgriLife NWS fact sheet.
Your Next Read: U.S. Suspends Mexican Cattle, Horse and Bison Imports Over Screwworm Pest
