The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced plans Friday to build a $750 million facility in South Texas aimed at halting the spread of the flesh-eating New World screwworm, a parasite that threatens the state’s multibillion-dollar cattle industry.
The plant, to be built at Moore Air Base near Edinburg, will mass-produce sterile screwworm flies as part of a proven eradication method. The agency said the facility will be capable of releasing up to 300 million sterile male flies each week, preventing fertile offspring and suppressing outbreaks across the southern border.
Construction is expected to take two to three years. In the meantime, the USDA is spending an additional $100 million on border detection dogs, surveillance technology, mounted “tick rider” patrols and improved trapping systems to stop the pest from crossing into Texas.
The screwworm, once eradicated from the U.S. in the 1960s, reemerged in parts of Mexico late last year, raising alarms among Texas ranchers. The fly’s larvae infest warm-blooded animals, burrowing into flesh and sometimes infecting humans.
Texas is the nation’s largest cattle-producing state, with herds valued at about $15 billion. Officials warned that a widespread screwworm outbreak could lead to billions of dollars in economic losses, higher beef prices and severe impacts on wildlife.
“This investment is about protecting American agriculture at its roots,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said at a news conference with Gov. Greg Abbott. “We’re restoring a vital line of defense on U.S. soil.”
The USDA said the Edinburg plant will work in tandem with existing sterile fly facilities in Panama and Mexico, part of a five-pronged strategy to prevent the parasite’s spread. The plan also includes scientific innovation, new detection tools and tighter animal health controls along the border.