re: New World Screwworm

quote:

---

“Instead of using every available tool, USDA moved too slowly and relied solely on a partial solution that takes years to fully implement,” Miller said, adding a plea for President Donald Trump to “throw every available federal resource at this threat before it becomes a full-blown agricultural disaster.”

---

quote:

---

(Edinburg, TX, February 9, 2026) – Today at Moore Air Base, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins and Governor of Texas Greg Abbott celebrated a significant achievement in the fight against New World Screwworm (NWS) with the completion of a U.S.-based sterile fly dispersal facility in Edinburg, Texas. This facility expands USDA’s ability to disperse sterile flies along the border and into the United States, if necessary.

---

quote:

---

Washington, D.C., January 30, 2026—The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is announcing a shift in its 100 million per week sterile fly dispersal efforts to stop the northern spread of New World screwworm (NWS). USDA will reallocate aircraft and sterile insects to reinforce coverage along the U.S.-Mexico border. The new dispersal area, or polygon, will include operations about 50 miles into Texas, along the U.S. border with the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico. Mass production and targeted dispersal of sterile insects are critical components of an effective strategy to fight NWS. Other tools including import protocols and surveillance continue to support these robust efforts to keep NWS out of the United States.

---