USDA to invest $750 million in facility to fight screwworm pest
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the plan this week, warning that the insect's advance from Mexico toward the U.S. border has raised serious concerns about a potential outbreak.
The project reflects growing alarm within the cattle industry, which fears that the return of screwworm could devastate herds and push already record-high beef prices even higher by tightening supplies.
"It could truly crush the cattle industry," Texas Governor Greg Abbott said during a joint press conference with Rollins. Texas, the nation's largest cattle-producing state, has not seen screwworm infestations in decades, thanks to a landmark eradication program in the 20th century that relied on aerial releases of sterile flies.
The new plant, planned for Edinburg, Texas, will operate alongside a previously announced dispersal center at Moore Air Base. Once completed, it will be capable of producing 300 million sterile screwworm flies each week, Rollins said. When released, the sterile flies overwhelm wild populations by disrupting reproduction, eventually collapsing infestations. While Rollins did not give an opening date, she has previously noted that such a facility typically requires two to three years to build.
To bridge the gap until the Texas facility comes online, the USDA will allocate another $100 million to develop new screwworm-fighting technologies and to expand mounted patrols along the southern border, where wildlife could carry the pest into U.S. territory. The agency has already suspended imports of Mexican cattle as of July, further tightening domestic supplies that are already at historically low levels. "Those ports don't open until we begin to push the screwworm back," Rollins emphasized.
The U.S. is also working with regional partners. A sterile fly production plant in Mexico is scheduled to open next year, while an existing facility in Panama breeds about 100 million sterile flies per week. According to USDA estimates, as many as 500 million sterile flies must be released each week to drive the screwworm southward and prevent it from re-establishing itself in North America.
"This is not just a Texas problem—it's a national concern," Rollins said. "All Americans should be concerned."
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Globe and Mail
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- Globe and Mail
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More phones being searched at the U.S. border than ever before, data shows
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The U.S. State Department said in June it would require all international student visa applicants to allow their social media to be reviewed for content deemed hostile to U.S. interests, and could reject anyone who doesn't make their accounts public. 2:41 Know your rights when crossing the Canada-US border Earlier this year, the Canadian government updated its travel advice for people entering the U.S., warning travellers to 'expect scrutiny at ports of entry, including of electronic devices.' Story continues below advertisement A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security denied the uptick in searches has anything to do with any directions from the Trump administration. 'Claims that CBP is searching more electronic media due to the administration change are false,' the spokesperson said in an email to Global News. 'Allegations that political beliefs trigger inspections or removals are baseless and irresponsible. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'Under the leadership of the Trump administration and Secretary (Kristi) Noem, we have the most secure border in American history. This has allowed CBP to focus to actually vet and interview the people attempting to come into our country. Lawful travellers have nothing to fear from these measures, which are designed to protect our nation's security.' In July, CBP put out a request for information for new data analytics systems to help the agency with 'processing forensically acquired electronic data' seized from travellers for investigative purposes, 'including but not limited to text, contacts, video and image data.' 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CTV News
4 hours ago
- CTV News
More Americans applying for refugee status in Canada, data shows
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