$8.5M Screwworm Eradication Facility to Open in South Texas

EDINBURG, TX – Congressman Tony Gonzales (TX-23) and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins launched an $8.5 million sterile New World screwworm (NWS) fly dispersal facility today in South Texas and announced a sweeping five-pronged plan to enhance USDA’s already robust ability to detect, control, and eliminate this pest. Per the USDA, the facility in South Texas is expected to be ready within six months.

“Today’s policy changes represent a huge step forward to eradicating the screwworm and protecting American livestock, especially the opening of a U.S.-based eradication facility in South Texas," said Congressman Tony Gonzales. "This facility has been one of my top priorities in Congress. From introducing the STOP Screwworms Act to leading funding efforts through my seat on the House Appropriations Committee, I am determined to do everything possible to eliminate this deadly parasite. Thank you, Secretary Rollins, for your partnership and commitment to deliver for our farmers and ranchers in Texas and across the nation."

“The United States has defeated NWS before and we will do it again,” said USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins. “We do not take lightly the threat NWS poses to our livestock industry, our economy, and our food supply chain. The United States government will use all resources at its disposal to push back NWS, and today’s announcement of a domestic strategy to bolster our border defenses is just the beginning. We have the proven tools, strong domestic and international partnerships, and the grit needed to win this battle.”

U.S. Representatives Monica De La Cruz (TX-15), Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34), and Ronny Jackson (TX-13) also attended today’s announcement.

BACKGROUND:
NWS is a devastating pest that causes serious and often deadly damage to livestock, wildlife, pets, and in rare cases, humans. While NWS has been eradicated from the United States for decades, recent detections in Mexico as far north as Oaxaca and Veracruz, about 700 miles away from the U.S. border led to the immediate suspension of live cattle, horse, and bison imports through U.S. ports of entry along the southern border on May 11, 2025.

In May, Congressman Gonzales introduced the bipartisan Strengthening Tactics to Obstruct the Population of Screwworms (STOP Screwworms) Act alongside Texas Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz to support funding for a sterile fly production facility in the United States. The bill was endorsed by the American Farm Bureau Federation, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Livestock Marketing Association, American Livestock Markets and Dealers Association, Texas Farm Bureau, Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, Texas Chapter of the Wildlife Society, and Livestock Marketing Association of Texas.

Additionally, through his seat on the House Appropriations Committee, Congressman Gonzales is working to secure additional funds to protect farmers and ranchers from a screwworm outbreak.

In March, Congressman Gonzales led a bipartisan letter with 43 of his colleagues, including several U.S. Representatives seated on the House Committee on Agriculture and the House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture to expand eradication and containment efforts relating to the NWS.

Key Facets of USDA’s Five-Pronged Plan to Address New World Screwworm:

Stop the Pest from Spreading in Mexico and Ensure We Are Full Partners in Eradication

• USDA’s recent $21 million expenditure went toward renovating an existing fruit fly production facility in Metapa, Mexico, which will provide an additional 60-100 million sterile flies a week to stop the spread, on top of the over 100 million already produced in Panama. This will result in at least 160 million flies per week.
• Over the last two weeks, USDA conducted a robust, in-person audit of Mexico’s animal health controls, and will maintain close continual monitoring of these aspects moving forward and will make continuous improvements. These in-person visits have allowed a unique opportunity for APHIS to see first-hand the challenges and opportunities in Mexico toward combating NWS.
• USDA is working closely with Mexico to improve its surveillance and detection of NWS which includes, but is not limited to regularly providing traps, lures, and technical expertise to Mexico.

Protect The U.S. Border at All Costs

• USDA will support Mexico’s strategic trapping along our shared border and in Mexico and ensure we receive regular reporting as an early warning intervention.
• USDA will escalate communications and public outreach along the U.S.-Mexico border to create a “barrier zone of vigilance” and boost as close to real-time as possible awareness of this pest.
• APHIS cattle fever tick riders in collaboration with U.S. Customs & Border Protection and with state partners will intercept and treat stray and illegally introduced livestock.

Maximize Our Readiness

• USDA will partner with state animal health officials to update and finalize emergency management plans and support federal, state, and local responders in training on and practicing for a potential response.
• USDA will ensure we have sufficient NWS treatments and will work to remove any federal regulatory hurdles for their use.

Take the Fight to the Screwworm

• Because sterile NWS flies are one of the most important and proven tools we have for eradicating the pest, USDA will immediately begin building a sterile insect dispersal facility at Moore Air Base, set to be completed in 2025. This facility will have the capability to disperse sterile flies in Northern Mexico.
• USDA is exploring all options to eradicate NWS, which includes potential expenditures in new technologies, new science, including possible plans to move forward with the design process of a domestic sterile fly production facility to complement the new dispersal facility at Moore Air Base, which has also been identified as the proposed location. The facility could boost domestic sterile fly production by up to 300 million flies per week and could complement current production that already exists in Panama and Mexico.

Innovate Our Way to Eradication

• USDA is pursuing innovative research to improve sterile insect technology, exploring the development of better traps and lures, exploring next-generation NWS treatments, and assessing the potential use and practicality of additional strains or genetically modified versions of the pest as well as e-beam and other radiation technology for the production of sterile flies.
• USDA will strengthen partnerships with land-grant universities in border states such as Texas, Arizona and New Mexico to facilitate local training, trap deployment, surveillance validation, and stakeholder outreach as an initial manner.