Wyoming livestock board urges help after USDA cuts and warns new world screw worm is advancing north
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Summary
The state veterinarian told the Joint Appropriations Committee that five USDA veterinary positions were cut, leaving three state veterinarians to cover Wyoming; the board requested a state assistant veterinarian and urged planning for the new world screw worm following detections near the Mexican border.
The Wyoming Livestock Board briefed the Joint Appropriations Committee on Jan. 9 about staffing losses, a request for state veterinary capacity and a rising foreign pest risk.
Agency representatives said USDA downsizing eliminated five positions in Wyoming — three veterinarians and two animal health technicians — which the state has not replaced. The board now relies on three state veterinarians to cover licensing, inspections and outbreak response statewide. The agency asked the committee to consider funding an assistant state veterinarian position to restore field coverage; board staff said the ask stems from both inspection needs and the demands of new, complex animal‑health threats.
Officials also warned of new world screw worm detections in Mexico near the U.S. border and described ongoing multi‑state planning and working groups. The board said the pest can survive in milder winters and, if established, would require quarantine, inspection changes and rapid operational response. "There's a tremendous amount that we can do before they get here," the state veterinarian said, citing planning, training, inspection changes and supply considerations for treatment and quarantine.