Screwworm Threat Nears US     04/27 14:51

   Florida Restricts Texas Animals as New World Screwworm Cases Creep Toward US 
Border

   New World screwworm cases in northern Mexico are creeping toward the U.S. 
border. Florida has set restrictions on animal imports from several high-risk 
southern Texas counties.

Jennifer Carrico
DTN Senior Livestock Editor

   REDFIELD, Iowa (DTN) -- As New World screwworm (NWS) cases increase in 
northern Mexico, another Southern state -- Florida -- has begun instituting new 
restrictions and regulations to protect U.S. livestock.

   Current NWS cases in Mexico total 21,293, with 1,469 being active animal 
cases, according to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) 
website. These cases include several in the northern Mexican states of Nuevo 
Leon and Tamaulipas. Both states are in the sterile insect dispersal polygon. 
Parts of southern Texas have been the site of the release of NWS sterile flies 
since January 2026.

   Tamaulipas currently has 246 cases, with 116 being active. In Nuevo Leon, 
there are 13 total cases, with eight being active. One of these cases is within 
62 miles of the U.S. border, according to Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid 
Miller.

   "The threat of New World screwworm is creeping dangerously close to our 
border," Miller said. "A confirmed case in Nuevo Leon, just about 60 miles from 
the United States, in a young calf, is a flashing red warning sign we will not 
ignore."

   A sterile fly facility is currently being constructed on the Moore Air Base 
in Edinburg, Texas. This facility will start producing 100 million sterile 
flies by the end of 2027 and ramp up to 300 million by the end of 2028. 
Currently, a facility in Panama is the only place producing sterile flies, and 
one in Metapa, Mexico, will come online this summer.

   FLORIDA RESTRICTS REGIONAL TEXAS ANIMALS

   Last week, in response to the NWS cases moving closer to the U.S., Florida 
Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson issued an emergency rule placing 
temporary restrictions on the importation of animals into Florida from 
high-risk Texas counties.

   "We are taking aggressive action to further protect Florida and our 
agricultural producers from the real threat or the New World screwworm," said 
Simpson in a news release from last week. "We know how costly and dangerous 
this pest can be to our agricultural industry if it takes hold, and we will use 
every tool at our disposal to protect our state. We're also calling on 
Florida's producers, veterinarians, and animal health professionals to remain 
aware and act quickly if they suspect something unusual."

   The emergency rule currently includes the temporary restriction of movement 
of all warm-blooded animals from the following southern Texas counties: Zapata, 
Jim Hogg, Starr, Hidalgo, Webb and Brooks, and requires animals from these 
areas to undergo increased veterinary screenings and treatment, if necessary.

   Miller understands Florida's move to protect the state from NWS.

   "With the growing threat of New World screwworm, and as ground zero of 
America's last outbreak a decade ago, they're acting to protect their state. 
This isn't a distant risk, and their heightened biosecurity makes that clear."

   The requirements include that these animals be accompanied by an Official 
Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (OCVI) to document that all animals on the 
form that have been inspected are found free of contagious and infectious 
disease and pests, including NWS.

   Any animals with wounds must not have an NWS larvae infestation, but if they 
do have a wound, they must be treated using an effective treatment to meet the 
Florida requirements. The wound location and treatment must be documented on 
the OCVI.

   Anyone who suspects an NWS case in the U.S. should contact their 
veterinarian immediately, including reporting sick or injured wildlife.

   "Our ranchers feed this country and fuel the Texas economy. They deserve 
vigilance, urgency, and action. We've beaten the New World screwworm before, 
and we will beat it again, but only if we treat this threat with the 
seriousness it demands right now," Miller said.

   NWS is currently not found in the United States. The border between Mexico 
and the U.S. remains closed. For further information, visit 
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/stop-screwworm.

   Jennifer Carrico can be reached at jennifer.carrico@dtn.com

   Follow her on social platform X @JennCattleGal




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