Ag Secretary Says More Effort Needed to Attack New World Screwworm in Mexico

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told lawmakers Wednesday the department will announce more initiatives within the next week to push back the spread of New World screwworm (NWS) in Mexico.

Rollins testified for nearly five hours on Wednesday before the House Agriculture Committee. Republicans praised her leadership and the direction of USDA under the Trump administration while Democrats chided Rollins over a range of program cuts and the trade war. Within that mix Rollins provided some important updates.

The secretary repeatedly told lawmakers USDA would make a major announcement next week on the next step and resources to combat the screwworm situation. Rollins said USDA became alarmed when the screwworm fly migrated 400 miles northward "in a matter of weeks," going from 1,100 miles from the U.S. border to 700 miles.

Rollins noted, "We hadn't seen that kind of movement in decades."

Rollins also touched on the economic hit livestock producers faced when screwworm hit in the U.S. in the 1950s and 1960s. "We have to move screwworm back and if not, we will have another three decades trying to recover from it," Rollins said.

New World screwworm infests mammals as larvae and will continue feeding like screwing into an animal's flesh. In Mexico, USDA funds the production and release of sterile flies to mate with female flies and help reduce larvae production.

USDA shut down the border to Mexican cattle last November, reopened the border briefly in late February and then closed the border again on May 11.

Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Texas, pressed for USDA to consider establishing a new sterile fly facility within the U.S., ideally at Moore Air Force Base in her district.

"Our cattlemen are very, very worried about the screwworm," De La Cruz said. She added, "It could have catastrophic consequences to our agricultural economy and to our natural ecosystem."

Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, said his district is the largest cattle-feeding district in the country and those feeders rely on Mexican cattle feeders to fill their feedyards. He raised concerns about the ban on Mexican cattle imports and questioned whether USDA could review that ban in a shorter window than every 30 days.

"Every day that imports are suspended, my constituents, their businesses are severely impacted," Jackson said.

Rollin said she is in constant contact with Mexico's Agriculture minister and USDA continues to assess the situation, but the key indicator is the fly population retracting south instead of migrating north.

"The metric we are looking for is watching the screwworm retreat south," Rollins said.

Source: DTN