On August 15, 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) unveiled an ambitious plan to construct a $750 million facility in Edinburg, Texas, aimed at producing billions of sterile flies in a high-stakes battle against the New World screwworm—a flesh-eating parasite threatening to devastate the American cattle industry. The announcement, made by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins at a news conference in Austin alongside Texas Governor Greg Abbott, marks the most aggressive American response to the pest in decades and underscores the gravity of the threat to both livestock and the broader economy.
The New World screwworm, a parasitic fly notorious for laying its larvae in open wounds of warm-blooded animals, has been creeping northward through Mexico. In July, officials detected the pest just 370 miles south of the U.S.-Mexico border, sparking alarm among ranchers and policymakers. The larvae feast on living tissue, causing immense suffering to cattle, wildlife, pets, and even, on rare occasions, humans. The economic stakes are staggering: Texas’ cattle industry alone is valued at $15 billion, and experts warn that unchecked screwworm infestations could cause billions in losses, send beef prices soaring, and inflict further pain on consumers already grappling with inflation.
“Farm security is national security,” Rollins declared, emphasizing the urgency of the situation. “All Americans should be concerned. But it’s certainly Texas and our border and livestock producing states that are on the front lines of this every day.” According to reporting by ABC and the Dallas Morning News, the new fly factory will be capable of producing up to 300 million sterile male screwworm flies per week—tripling current global output and making it one of only three such facilities in the world. The Panama factory, established decades ago, produces about 117 million flies per week, while a recently renovated Mexican facility is expected to add another 60 to 100 million. The Texas site, located at Moore Air Base just 20 miles from the border, will also complement an $8.5 million fly dispersal center already under construction in Edinburg.
The strategy, which has roots in a successful eradication campaign from the 1960s and 1970s, relies on the mass release of sterile male flies. These flies, dropped from airplanes over infested regions, mate with wild females—who only mate once in their brief adult lives—resulting in nonviable eggs and, over time, a dramatic collapse of the pest population. It’s a biological arms race, and the U.S. is determined not to fall behind. “Without these very, very aggressive steps, the screwworm would have gotten to our border already and would already be in our country,” Rollins said. “We’re doing everything we can to stop it.”
The new facility is just one piece of a broader, multi-pronged response. The USDA has earmarked up to $100 million for new technologies, including advanced traps, lures, and modular sterile fly units. The agency is also ramping up the deployment of mounted patrol officers known as “tick riders” to monitor livestock along the border, and training Beagle Bridge dogs to sniff out screwworm infections. Real-time surveillance, in partnership with Mexican authorities, will track the pest’s movement as it advances through Mexico.
Governor Abbott, who in June directed the formation of the Texas New World Screwworm Response Team, painted a stark picture of the potential consequences. “This could result in billions of dollars in losses a year,” Abbott warned. “It could truly crush the cattle industry and livestock industry in Texas.” The team, formed by the Texas Animal Health Commission and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, is tasked with coordinating state-level communications and preparedness efforts. The urgency is not lost on industry leaders: Russell Boening, president of the Texas Farm Bureau, praised the swift action, stating, “This threat is real and urgent, and we cannot afford delays. Immediate construction and deployment of this facility are essential to prevent irreversible harm to the agricultural economy and our nation’s food system.”
For decades, the U.S. had largely eradicated the screwworm, shutting down domestic fly factories after the pest was pushed back to Central America. But in recent years, the fly has reemerged as a threat. In 2016, an outbreak in Florida killed endangered deer, and by 2023, the parasite had begun to spread north of the Panama Canal. The resurgence prompted the U.S. to close its border to imports of live cattle, horses, and bison from Mexico three times in the past eight months, most recently in July after an infestation was found in Oaxaca and Veracruz—some 700 miles from Texas.
The economic risks extend far beyond ranchers. According to KWTX, if screwworm were to gain a foothold in Texas, it could cause an estimated $2.1 billion loss to the cattle industry and a staggering $9 billion hit to the hunting and wildlife sectors. Retail beef prices, already at record highs, could climb even further, fueling inflation and hitting consumers at the checkout line. The parasite’s reach isn’t limited to cattle; it can also infest wildlife, household pets, and, in rare cases, humans.
The U.S. response has not been without controversy. Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum criticized the American decision to suspend livestock imports, suggesting the threat to the U.S. beef industry was exaggerated. However, both nations have moved to strengthen cooperation. Mexico’s Agriculture ministry announced that Secretary Julio Berdegué Sacristán and Rollins signed a joint screwworm control action plan, which includes enhanced monitoring via fly traps and strict certification of livestock movement within Mexico. “We will continue with conversations that lead to actions that will permit the reopening of livestock exports,” Berdegué stated on social media.
President Donald Trump’s administration, under which these initiatives were launched, has made clear its intention to end U.S. reliance on fly breeding operations in Panama and Mexico. Rollins called the investment in Texas “a tactical move that ensures we are prepared and not just reactive, which is today what we have really been working through.” The USDA expects the new factory to be operational within a year, with construction timelines described as urgent but realistic.
The sterile fly strategy is not new, but the scale of the current threat and the scope of the response are unprecedented. As the USDA, Texas officials, and their Mexican counterparts race against time, the stakes could hardly be higher. Every day counts in the fight to keep the screwworm at bay and protect the nation’s food supply, economy, and rural way of life.
With construction of the new Texas facility underway and a host of technological and policy measures in motion, the U.S. is betting heavily on science, coordination, and swift action to prevent a crisis. For ranchers, consumers, and wildlife advocates alike, the coming year will be a test of resolve—and a reminder that even the smallest adversaries can threaten the biggest industries.