In the last five months, the media have rightfully reported on the Trump administration’s deft handling of our southern border and crackdown on illegal immigration. However, when the administration closed that same border to an invasive insect last month, the story fell flat.
While it might not be as captivating a story, the USDA’s suspension of animal imports along our southern border was a bold, resolute, and necessary decision. But how did it come to be, and why was it ultimately done?
The New World screwworm, an invasive parasitic insect that feeds on animal tissue, is spreading throughout Mexico and Central America. While the screwworm was eradicated in the United States in the 1960s, those familiar with the destruction it caused within America’s agriculture industry know how long it took to address.
In 1933, a screwworm outbreak exploded into the southeastern states and became a national problem within just a few short years. By 1935, Texas, for example, reported a loss of 180,000 livestock deaths, representing reporting from only half of Texas's counties.
These massive losses had a huge impact on the livelihoods of America’s farmers and ranchers. Aside from livestock deaths, the labor needed to treat the infested livestock was intensive. Ranchers had to check livestock often for infested wounds, confine them, and attempt immediate treatment before a likely death. These ranchers, desperate for relief, pleaded with agriculture researchers to find a solution.
Relief came by introducing sterile male flies into the screwworm population. By using recycled X-ray equipment from hospitals, radiation could effectively and efficiently sterilize large numbers of male screwworm flies to be released into the population. After years of testing, this method was used and completely eradicated a problem that had caused ample pain and suffering.
From its large-scale introduction in the 1930s to its total eradication by 1966, the screwworm took a massive toll on America’s agricultural industry. As USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins stated when she closed our ports to livestock imports from Mexico last month, “The last time this devastating pest invaded America, it took 30 years for our cattle industry to recover. This cannot happen again."
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She is right. We cannot afford to let this happen again. But this begs the question, “What would happen if the screwworm did return?”
The USDA estimates that a potential reinfestation on our soil could cost over $1 billion annually when considering factors like treatment costs, loss of animal productivity, and trade restrictions.
Our goal as lawmakers is to ensure that the food Americans eat is both safe and affordable. Given this alarming estimate, it is clear that the screwworm would not just make the food industry unsafe, but unaffordable, too.
That is why the decision to close our ports was so necessary, but our work cannot end there.
Further action must be taken if we want to truly defend our borders against such a frightening scenario. That is why in Congress, we are working on advancing legislation to begin construction on a new sterile fly production facility to combat any new screwworm outbreaks here in the United States. This prudent and proactive piece of legislation shores up our ability to eradicate the screwworm once and for all.
Few are aware of what a screwworm is, and even fewer know just how devastating it can be. The reality is that even a tiny species such as the screwworm can cause great damage to the American cattle industry–and even the national economy. The screwworm is a sleeping giant, and while this issue might not be as captivating a story as others, it must be taken seriously.
Rep. Frank Lucas represents the 3rd District of Oklahoma. Rep. Tony Gonzales represents the 23rd District of Texas. Both are Republicans.