Waco, TX – Governor Greg Abbott and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will invest $750 million in a new Domestic Sterile Screwworm Production Facility in Edinburg, Texas. The facility aims to combat the northward spread of the New World screwworm (NWS) and protect American livestock producers.
The facility will have the capacity to produce 300 million sterile screwworm flies per week, tripling the current operational capacity, which relies on flies imported from Panama. The sterile flies prevent reproduction and help control outbreaks of the destructive pest.
Governor Abbott highlighted the importance of protecting Texas’s agricultural sector, which supports over 2 million jobs and contributes more than $867 billion in total economic impact. Secretary Rollins emphasized the need for a domestic facility to prevent the northward advancement of the screwworm and safeguard U.S. food production.
The announcement was made during a press conference attended by state and national agricultural leaders, including Congressman Tony Gonzales, Texas Commissioner of Agriculture Sid Miller, and Texas A&M University Chancellor Glenn Hegar.
In June, Governor Abbott directed the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Texas Animal Health Commission to create a joint Texas New World Screwworm Response Team following the recent spread of the pest.
