Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R-TX) announced plans Friday to accelerate construction of a facility in South Texas that breeds sterile flies [1].
The initiative aims to halt the spread of the New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite that threatens the state's cattle industry and agricultural economy [1, 2].
The facility will produce sterile New World screwworm flies to combat the infestation [1, 3]. This method of biological control prevents the parasites from reproducing in the wild, effectively crashing the population of the larvae that infest livestock [2].
According to reports, the screwworm infestation threatens cattle valued at approximately $113 million [4]. The economic stakes for the region are significant, as the parasite can cause severe tissue damage and death in cattle if left untreated [2].
Despite the push to speed up construction, the new sterile-fly facility is not expected to begin breeding flies for more than one year [5]. The state government is pledging resources to ensure the project moves forward as quickly as possible to mitigate the risk to the livestock sector [5].
The New World screwworm is a known threat to animal health across the Americas. The use of sterile insect technique is a recognized strategy to create a biological barrier against the spread of the parasite into new territories [1, 3].
“The facility will produce sterile New World screwworm flies to combat the infestation.”
The use of sterile insect technique represents a long-term biological strategy to protect the US agricultural supply chain. While the $113 million threat highlights the immediate economic risk, the one-year lead time for the facility means Texas must rely on traditional containment and treatment methods in the interim to prevent widespread livestock loss.
