USDA Plans $1 Billion Response As New World Screwworm Spreads In Texas And New Mexico
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Thursday, June 11, 2026, it will spend more than $1 billion to fight a reemergence of the New World screwworm after infections were detected in Texas and New Mexico.[1]
The agency said about $750 million would fund a plant to produce up to 300 million sterile flies per week as part of the response.[1] Federal officials say seven screwworm cases have been confirmed so far in Texas and New Mexico, with 12-mile quarantine zones around each site.[1] The Department has deployed an Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) strike team, is releasing sterile male flies and has set movement-control zones to quarantine livestock.[2] The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday granted an emergency use authorization for the flea drug nitenpyram to treat screwworms in dogs and cats, with dosing guidance and limits on age and weight for treated pets.[3]
In January 2025 U.S. foreign-aid and monitoring programs that supported sterile-fly operations in Central America were cut, and by March 2025 U.S.-funded screwworm monitoring and release activities had stopped. The parasite resurged in Costa Rica and Panama in 2023 and pushed north through Mexico; Mexico reported more than 28,000 cases and U.S. southern ports were closed to Mexican livestock last summer.[1] Panama's COPEG facility currently produces about 100 million sterile flies per week, and planned plants in Mexico and Texas aim to raise combined capacity toward historic eradication levels.
Mainstream coverage has shifted from an immediate emergency narrative to one focused on political blame and staffing shortfalls.[1] Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has publicly criticized USDA's tactics and urged wider use of bait systems while accusing the agency of moving too slowly.[2]
Trade impacts have followed the detections: Mexico has halted almost all live-animal imports from the U.S., and Canada has temporarily stopped importing cattle, horses and other livestock from Texas.[1] Federal officials note screwworm infestations do not automatically make meat unsafe, but they can raise production costs and add pressure to already-high beef prices.[2]
The mainstream summary does not mention that the COPEG facility in Panama, which currently produces about 100 million sterile flies per week, is significantly below the historical requirement of 500 million flies per week needed for full eradication efforts. Planned facilities in Mexico and Texas aim to increase this capacity, but the urgency of the current situation suggests that the USDA's response may still fall short of what is necessary to effectively combat the screwworm outbreak.[4]
Additionally, the summary overlooks the broader implications of the USDA's workforce cuts in 2025, which critics argue have contributed to the current crisis. Social media commentary highlights concerns that these cuts have allowed the screwworm to advance unchecked, potentially leading to multibillion-dollar losses in livestock and increased beef prices due to disrupted imports from Mexico. This perspective suggests a deeper systemic issue within agricultural policy and emergency preparedness that the mainstream narrative has not fully addressed.
Show source details & analysis (4 sources)
📊 Relevant Data
The COPEG facility in Panama currently produces approximately 100 million sterile New World screwworm flies per week, while full eradication efforts historically required up to 500 million per week; planned facilities in Mexico and Texas aim for a combined total of up to 500 million per week.
Sterile Fly Production and Dispersal Facilities — USDA APHIS
📌 Key Facts
- On Thursday, June 11, 2026, the FDA granted an emergency use authorization for nitenpyram tablets to treat New World screwworm infestations in dogs and cats; the EUA covers pets weighing at least 2 pounds and at least 4 weeks old, recommends a second dose six hours after the first, says nitenpyram kills most larvae within hours though remaining larvae may need veterinary removal and it does not provide ongoing protection, and notes the drug was first approved in 2000 as Capstar (nitenpyram).
- The USDA now estimates it will spend more than $1 billion responding to the screwworm’s U.S. reemergence, including about $750 million to build and operate a plant capable of producing up to 300 million sterile flies per week (USDA).
- Scientists and officials report seven New World screwworm cases detected so far in Texas and New Mexico, and 12-mile quarantine zones have been established around each confirmed site (seven New World screwworm cases).
- On June 3, 2026, USDA APHIS confirmed New World screwworm larvae in the umbilical area of a three-week-old calf in Zavala County, Texas (Zavala County).
- USDA has deployed an APHIS strike team, is releasing sterile male flies and has established movement-control zones to quarantine livestock around affected areas; Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins visited a Texas ranch on June 11, 2026, observed sterile-fly releases and said she has reassigned more than 100 USDA employees to the effort (Brooke Rollins).
- Trade and movement effects have followed detections: the U.S. closed southern ports to Mexican livestock last summer after Mexico reported more than 28,000 cases, Mexico has halted almost all live-animal imports from the U.S. after recent detections, and Canada has temporarily stopped importing cattle, horses and other livestock from Texas (Mexico).
- The outbreak has prompted sharp partisan disagreement and staffing questions: Rollins and some Republicans blamed conditions and cross-border livestock movements, while Democrats and nearly a dozen Democratic senators pointed to USDA/APHIS staffing reductions — noting that nearly 20% of counties lost APHIS employees in 2025 — and asked whether cuts weakened safeguards (nearly a dozen Democratic senators).
- Officials say screwworm infestations do not inherently make meat unsafe to eat but can increase production costs and threaten to push already-record-high beef prices even higher (beef prices).
📰 Source Timeline (4)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- On June 3, 2026, USDA APHIS confirmed New World screwworm larvae in the umbilical area of a three-week-old calf in Zavala County, Texas.
- As of June 11, 2026, federal officials had confirmed a total of six New World screwworm cases, according to Fox7 Austin as cited in the article.
- USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Dudley Hoskins said that although models projected NWS would enter the U.S. in 2025, coordinated efforts "bought time" and that USDA had invested heavily in eradication tools since cases began increasing in Central America and Mexico.
- The article quotes Hoskins saying, "The United States has defeated this pest before, and we will do it again," emphasizing USDA’s stated confidence in re-eradication.
- Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller publicly criticized USDA’s response, saying that despite dispersing billions of sterile flies, screwworms advanced more than 1,100 miles from southern Mexico to Texas and arguing the agency "moved too slowly and relied solely" on sterile-fly releases while neglecting broader use of SWASS bait systems.
- Miller stated he had personally provided USDA with research and the Screwworm Adult Suppression System (SWASS) bait formula on three occasions while NWS advanced toward Texas.
- The article reiterates that USDA has deployed an APHIS strike team in Texas, is releasing sterile male flies, and has established a movement control zone to quarantine livestock around affected areas, characterizing this as a "rapid, efficient" response.
- The piece notes that screwworm infestations do not inherently make meat unsafe to eat but can increase production costs and threaten to raise beef prices that are already at record highs.
- On Thursday, June 11, 2026, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins visited a Texas ranch where a screwworm case was found and observed sterile flies being released as part of the control program.
- USDA now estimates it will spend over $1 billion responding to the screwworm’s U.S. reemergence, including about $750 million to build and operate a plant capable of producing up to 300 million sterile flies per week.
- Scientists and officials report that seven screwworm cases have been detected so far in Texas and New Mexico, and a 12‑mile quarantine zone is established around each confirmed site.
- The article notes that the U.S. closed its southern ports to Mexican livestock last summer after Mexico reported more than 28,000 screwworm cases, and that Mexico has now halted imports of almost all live animals from the U.S. after detections here.
- Canada has temporarily stopped importing cattle, horses, and other livestock from Texas because of the screwworm detections.
- Experts quoted in the article say screwworms are likely to persist in the U.S. at least through the current summer and emphasize that climate change and expanding warm, humid conditions are aiding the parasite’s northward spread.
- Rollins told the Senate Agriculture Committee on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, that she considers the screwworm response one of her top priorities and said she has reassigned more than 100 USDA employees to the effort.
- Nearly a dozen Democratic senators sent Rollins a letter this week highlighting that nearly 20% of U.S. counties which had at least one Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service employee at the start of 2025 had none by year’s end, questioning whether staffing cuts weakened safeguards.
- The article details sharp partisan disagreement over the causes of the reemergence, with Rollins attributing it to conditions under the Biden administration and alleged migrant and cartel-linked livestock movements, while Democrats such as Rep. Ted Lieu blame Trump-era USDA cuts.
- On Thursday, June 11, 2026, the FDA granted an emergency use authorization for nitenpyram tablets to treat New World screwworm infestations in dogs and cats.
- Nitenpyram, previously approved in 2000 under the brand name Capstar for treating fleas, becomes the first generic animal drug authorized specifically against New World screwworm in pets.
- The EUA allows use in dogs and cats weighing at least 2 pounds and at least 4 weeks old, with FDA guidance to administer a second dose six hours after the first.
- FDA said nitenpyram kills most screwworm larvae within hours, but remaining live or dead larvae may need to be removed by a veterinarian and the drug does not provide ongoing protection against new infestations.
- The article reiterates that several new New World screwworm cases have been found in cattle in Texas in recent weeks and in a dog in New Mexico, tying the EUA directly to the emerging outbreak.