TAHC, USDA ramp up New World screwworm surveillance and sterile‑fly production plans

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 investment and state planning are intended to keep the pest south of the border and to provide rapid response capability if detections occur.

Most important facts: Dinges said USDA announced a plan that includes a domestic sterile‑fly production facility at Moore Field Airbase in Edinburg and earlier investments to renovate an existing facility in Mexico. She summarized multiple USDA steps: border protection, international cooperation with Mexico, a $750 million investment for a U.S. facility and an allocation of $100 million for innovations, including traps, lures and therapeutics. Texas has deployed field surveillance: TAHC and USDA began proactive trapping along the Rio Grande and, as Dinges reported, ‘‘we have 101 sterile New World screwworm fly traps deployed in 8 counties from Brownsville up to Del Rio.’’

TAHC described preparedness and training already under way. Dinges said the commission’s Emergency Management team and field staff have completed multiple response trainings and that 76 of 110 livestock inspectors had finished a two‑day field response course. USDA veterinary services staff said a national Southwest strike team and similar trainings in Florida have expanded the pool of responders and that more than 5,600 suspect flies had been submitted from trapping to the National Veterinary Services Laboratories for identification (no New World screwworm positives were reported).

TAHC and USDA officials described collaborative policy work: a multi‑agency workshop and a set of working groups are drafting a ‘‘New World Screwworm Response Playbook’’ that will define coordination, premises management and sterile insect deployment, among other areas. Dinges listed nine key playbook topics including coordination, elimination on infested premises, wildlife management, surveillance and sterile insect technique, continuity of business and communications.

What officials told commissioners: USDA veterinary officials told the commission that additional tag and sample kits have been distributed and that the department continues outreach to industry and the public. Dinges emphasized continued weekly coordination calls with federal, state and industry partners, and that the Governor’s multi‑disciplinary team is being coordinated to align response across relevant agencies.

Notable caveats and next steps: Commissioners and staff emphasized that surveillance will continue and that work remains to finalize the response playbook and to stand up the proposed domestic sterile insect facility. Officials said no action was taken at the meeting beyond continuing operational and planning work.

Ending: TAHC staff said they will continue to brief commissioners as the USDA playbook, trap surveillance results and federal investments develop; no domestic detections were reported to the commission at the meeting.