Cattle Group Supports USDA Investment in New World Srewworm Control

The USDA has announced a $21 million investment to reopen and upgrade a facility in South America aimed at increasing the production of sterile flies, which are used to combat the New World screw worm. R-Calf, United Stockgrowers of America, CEO Bill Bullard talks about the importance of this move for livestock health and biosecurity.

“The new world screwworm made its way into Mexico by way of illegal cattle trafficking from Central America, and then the screw worm has been moving northward, and so we support APHIS efforts to build and refurbish the old facility and build a new one. The problem is that that takes time. And of course, the New World School worm could move relatively fast.”

Recently, there was a scare when there was talk about an outbreak in Missouri that was later proved to be a false rumor.

“And so we've asked the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission to investigate the circumstances around that false report of a new world screw worm detection in Missouri, because the market cleared that day there was a sell off, and that harmed our independent cattle producers. So we need to make sure that nobody is acting in a nefarious manner in order to gain the system.”

Thereby enforcing the need for a transparent market based on accurate information. According to Bullard.