U.S. launches sterile fly “factory” in battle against flesh-eating pest threatening livestock

• The USDA opens an $8.5 million sterile fly dispersal facility in South Texas to combat New World Screwworm (NWS), a flesh-eating parasite.
• Mexico and U.S. collaboration includes a $21 million sterile fly production site in Mexico, aiming for 60–100 million weekly releases.
• NWS could cost Texas agriculture up to $1.8 billion annually if reinfestation spreads, threatening border states’ livestock economies.
• Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), first used in the 1950s, remains key; the U.S. plans 300 million sterile flies weekly to outpace wild populations.
• New partnerships aim to balance eradication efforts, surveillance and public awareness amid NWS detections 700 miles from the border.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has launched a high-stakes campaign to combat the resurgence of New World Screwworm (NWS), a flesh-eating parasite that once ravaged American livestock. An $8.5 million sterile fly dispersal facility in Texas, poised to release millions of insects this year, underscores the urgency of preventing the pest from crossing into U.S. herds.

Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced the Moore Air Base site on June 18 as part of a broader five-pronged strategy to reinforce border defenses and collaborate with Mexico. “The United States has defeated NWS before, and we will do it again,” Rollins stated, emphasizing sterile insect technology (SIT) as a proven solution. The facility joins a $21 million production plant in Mexico, with combined weekly fly output projected to reach 160-300 million — a critical shield against a parasite capable of laying 3,000 eggs per female.

NWS females target wounds on warm-blooded animals, including cattle, dogs and even humans. Larvae burrow into flesh, causing severe infections that can kill livestock within weeks. Recent NWS detections in Mexico’s Oaxaca and Veracruz states, just 700 miles from Texas, prompted the U.S. to halt imports of live animals from Mexico on May 11. Agricultural officials warn that a modern outbreak could mimic the economic toll of the 1976 Texas crisis, which cost over $1 billion in today’s dollars.

A scalpel, not a sledgehammer: The sterile insect tactic’s rebirth

The New World Screwworm reached eradication status in the U.S. by the 1960s through SIT, a method pioneered in the 1950s using gamma radiation to sterilize male flies. When released, these flies outcompeted wild males, collapsing local populations each mating cycle.

Yet decades later, scientists and ranchers now face a dual challenge: preventing illegal reintroduction and addressing “lazy” mass-reared flies, which past USDA programs deemed ineffective. The new Texas facility, situated just 20 miles from the border, is designed to optimize efficiency. “We learned from previous efforts but are scaling up production and precision targeting,” Rollins explained.

The plan also includes research into next-gen technology, including genetic modifications and e-beam sterilization. “We’ll use every tool,” said Rollins, citing land-grant universities as partners in refining traps, surveillance and training.

Stakes are fertile ground: Protecting the $1.8B agricultural ledge

For Texas ranchers, the fight is about survival. A 2025 USDA report estimates that a 1976-scale outbreak today would cost Texas $732 million annually, cascading into an $1.8 billion statewide economic loss.

“Sterile flies are our failsafe,” said Buck Wehrbein, president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. Mexico’s ongoing NWS outbreaks, initially dismissed as external invasions, now drive U.S. vigilance. Ranchers like Wehrbein note that wildlife — wandering through porous borders — acts as an uncontrolled vector. “Feral pigs, deer and cattle cross freely. Without sterile flies, we’re in freefall,” Wehrbein said.

North American collaboration sows seeds for future defense strategy

Mexico’s agricultural secretary, Julio Berdegue, welcomed U.S. efforts as a “positive step,” signaling hope for resumed cattle exports. Bilateral agreements now mandate shared surveillance, cross-border trapping and data-sharing.

However, challenges persist. Mexico’s Metapa production facility, funded by the USDA, will take 18 months to activate. Meanwhile, U.S. tick riders — vetted teams tracing pests along the Rio Grande — now double as NWS scouts. Their role is pivotal, as the pest spreads via migratory wildlife.

“Ideally, we’d eradicate NWS south of the border,” said Texas Commissioner of Agriculture Sid Miller. “But as long as it exists, so must our defenses.”

Eyes on the horizon: The fight isn’t slowing down

The Moore Air Base facility represents both a setback and strategic pivot. Critics question the program’s sustainability after over $20 million in annual investments, while proponents argue the cost pales against potential losses.

The USDA’s five-pronged plan includes public forums to gather input on sterile fly production and emerging tech, such as gene editing. “This is a war with no easy victories,” Rollins concluded. “We adapt, we persevere — or we lose.”

For now, sterile flies buzz at the edge of progress.

Sources for this article include:

TheEpochTimes.com

USDA.gov

APNews.com