USDA defends screwworm response as pest inches closer to Texas The New World screwworm, a parasitic pest that feeds on warm-blooded animals, is now only 25 miles from the Texas border, posing a significant threat to the state’s livestock industry. Concerns are mounting over the Department of Agriculture’s response, with critics arguing that the government’s actions have been too slow and that the capacity for sterile fly production, a key method for combating the pest, is insufficient. The USDA, however, is working to update the public and counter what they describe as misleading rumors about the situation.

• The New World screwworm is now 25 miles from the Texas border, a significant decrease from its previous distance of 187 miles in February.
• The pest poses a severe threat to Texas’s multibillion-dollar livestock industry, with potential economic damage estimated at nearly $2 billion.
• Critics, including Rep. Don McLaughlin, argue that the USDA has responded too slowly and that the state lacks adequate sterile fly capacity to combat the outbreak.
• Current sterile fly production from a Panama-based facility provides only 100 million flies weekly, far less than the 700 million used in past outbreaks.
• A new USDA domestic plant is under construction but is not expected to be operational until late 2027.
• Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins stated the USDA is providing real-time updates and facts to counter rumors and panic.