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Breeding

Officials Praise USDA’s Plan to Thwart New World Screwworm: What It Includes

USDA’s five-part NWS strategy drew praise for its focus on preparedness and sterile-fly capacity. Later updates report surveillance and dispersal underway, while major production figures remain future targets.

By Animalso Team 5 min read
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USDA’s five-part New World screwworm (NWS) plan combines work with Mexico, stronger border safeguards, response preparations, sterile-fly control and research. Elected officials and livestock groups praised the plan when it was announced on June 18, 2025, particularly its investment in sterile-fly capacity. That support is endorsement, not proof that the plan has succeeded; later USDA updates describe ongoing operations, construction and research.

What are the five parts of USDA’s NWS plan?

Agriculture Secretary Brooke L. Rollins announced the plan on June 18, 2025. USDA presented it as a coordinated effort to prevent the pest’s spread and strengthen the response, with five connected priorities:

  1. Stop spread in Mexico and partner in eradication. Work with Mexico and other partners, including investment in fly production, to contain the pest closer to its source.
  2. Protect the U.S. border. Use border trapping and outreach as safeguards against NWS entering the United States.
  3. Maximize readiness. Improve response planning and treatments so agencies and livestock owners are better prepared to act.
  4. Take the fight to NWS. Build sterile-insect capacity and deploy sterile flies as a control measure.
  5. Innovate through research. Develop and assess tools such as traps, lures, treatments and new sterilization approaches.

The announcement described a broad strategy rather than a single intervention: prevention, preparedness, control and research are intended to work together. USDA’s June 18, 2025 announcement outlines the plan and the statements made at its launch.

Why did officials and agricultural groups praise it?

The launch-day praise centered on preparedness, partnership and the need for a reliable sterile-fly supply. It came from elected officials and agricultural organizations with a direct interest in protecting livestock and the Texas cattle industry.

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  • Texas Governor Greg Abbott called the dispersal facility a “critical step” toward preparedness and thanked the administration for supporting Texas.
  • Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller expressed support for working with the administration on a robust plan.
  • National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President Buck Wehrbein stressed the importance of a sufficient supply of sterile flies and a U.S. production facility. He said, “The only way to protect the American cattle herd from the devastating threat of New World screwworm is by having a sufficient supply of sterile flies to push this pest away from our border.”
  • Texas Farm Bureau and Texas Cattle Feeders Association also praised the facility and broader response.

Rollins said at the announcement, “The United States has defeated NWS before and we will do it again.” Those quotations show the confidence and priorities of the people and groups involved; they are not independent evidence of effectiveness.

What has USDA reported about implementation?

Later updates describe activity after the 2025 announcement, but reported operations and planned capacity should not be confused. In its July 31, 2026 response update, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) reported surveillance in Texas, sterile-fly dispersal, construction of a production facility and funded research projects.

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  • Surveillance: APHIS said that since June 3, 2026, USDA had conducted more than 1,000 drone surveillance flights in Texas, observing more than 20,000 animals. It also reported monitoring footage from more than 130 trail cameras, in which nearly 17,000 animals were observed.
  • Sterile-fly dispersal: APHIS reported that USDA continued dispersing 100 million sterile flies per week in Mexico and Texas. It separately said the Edinburg dispersal facility was being used to deploy more than 80 million flies weekly over Texas and Mexico. These figures describe USDA-reported dispersal and deployment, not proof that the pest has been eliminated.
  • Production under construction: APHIS said a Southern Texas production facility was under construction. Its planned initial output was up to 100 million flies per week, with expansion to 300 million per week by late 2028. Those are planned capacities, not current production.
  • Research: APHIS said 40 New World Screwworm Grand Challenge projects would receive about $105 million combined.

In a September 21, 2026 overview, APHIS described the response as work involving federal, state, Tribal and local governments and industry. USDA said it is working toward approximately 500 million sterile flies per week in production capacity. That is a future target, not a verified current output. USDA also assesses the current risk to animals and people in the United States as very low and says the food supply remains safe; those are USDA’s assessments. See the APHIS response overview for its current framing.

How does the response guide help agencies prepare?

APHIS announced a response playbook on April 8, 2026, to help federal, state, Tribal and local responders coordinate operations. Its functions include reducing spread, managing infested animals, conducting fly surveillance and control, maintaining continuity of business and sharing information. The guide is an operational coordination tool; it is distinct from the five-pronged strategy announced in 2025.

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On August 26, 2026, APHIS announced quarterly reviews of the playbook to incorporate stakeholder feedback and lessons from the response. The listed fiscal year 2026 Quarter 4 comment-review window was September 21 through October 4, 2026. Under Secretary Dudley Hoskins said, “We are committed to ensuring our domestic response tools evolve as quickly as the situation does.” He called the playbook an “outstanding and highly effective guide” and credited state partners in Texas and New Mexico. Those characterizations are Hoskins’s, not an independent evaluation. APHIS describes the playbook review process and the response playbook in separate updates.

What do detections and livestock port reopening mean?

APHIS’s early domestic announcements reported an infested calf in Zavala County, Texas, on June 3, 2026, and a second detection there on June 5. The agency described movement controls, quarantine, surveillance and targeted sterile-fly deployment. These reports mark the start of the domestic response timeline; they are not current case totals.

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Trade reopening has been phased and conditional. On its status page last modified September 24, 2026, APHIS said USDA reopened the Douglas, Arizona, port to cattle imports from Mexico on August 24, 2026, under a joint U.S.-Mexico protocol. APHIS called it the first step in a phased reopening. Further ports may be considered after review of the initial reopening and a risk assessment; the timeline can change with Mexico’s progress, and USDA says openings may be paused if it identifies increased risk. The APHIS status page links to the current status information and protocols.

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What should pet owners and livestock owners do?

NWS threatens livestock, pets and wildlife, and can rarely affect people. USDA describes the current U.S. risk to animals and people as very low, but that assessment does not mean there is no risk. If an animal may have NWS, do not rely on generic wound-care products or routine pest-control supplies as treatment. APHIS directs people to contact a veterinarian, state animal-health official or USDA about suspected cases. Because detections, quarantine boundaries and import rules can change, check current official guidance rather than relying on older case reports.

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