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TAHC, USDA ramp up New World screwworm surveillance and sterile‑fly production plans
Summary
Texas Animal Health Commission staff and federal partners described expanded surveillance, training and a multi‑hundred million‑dollar USDA plan to build sterile‑fly production capacity as part of a regional response to New World screwworm risk from Mexico.
The Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) and federal partners described expanded trapping, training and planning Tuesday as part of a stepped‑up response to the risk of New World screwworm moving north from Mexico.
‘‘The USDA will construct the sterile fly production facility in Edinburg . . . with the capacity of producing up to 300,000,000 sterile flies per week,’’ TAHC Executive Director Dr. Dee Dinges told commissioners, summarizing announcements by USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and agency officials. Dinges said USDA had allocated hundreds of millions of dollars for both domestic sterile insect production and innovation funds to support surveillance and response tools.
Why it matters: New World screwworm is an animal health emergency for livestock and wildlife; early detection and the ability to deploy sterile insect technique at scale are central to preventing establishment in U.S. livestock herds. TAHC staff said federal…
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