Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins announced plans to open a new sterile fly dispersal facility at an inactive Air Force base in south Texas as part of USDA’s efforts to stop the spread of New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite that once wreaked havoc on the American livestock industry.
The $8.5 million facility, to be located about 20 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, will be completed in 2025 and have the ability to disperse flies in northern Mexico, according to the USDA press release. The press release also said “possible plans” for a new domestic sterile fly production facility are being considered. The production capacity of the proposed new facility is estimated to be approximately 300 million flies per week.
The sterile insect technique (SIT) uses radiation to sterilize mass-reared flies which overwhelm NWS populations, and it has been used to successfully control and eradicate NWS since the 1950s.
“The United States has defeated NWS before and we will do it again,” Rollins said. “The United States government will use all resources at its disposal to push back NWS, and today’s announcement of a domestic strategy to bolster our border defenses is just the beginning. We have the proven tools, strong domestic and international partnerships, and the grit needed to win this battle.”
The Moore Air Base was formerly used as a NWS sterile fly facility in the 1960s and 1970s and has been inactive since 1981, according to USDA. USDA says the plant produced up to 200 million flies per week when it was previously operating.
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Rollins’ announcement comes one week after she testified in front of the House Ag Committee and made promises to soon release more information related to combating the New World screwworm threat. In the hearing, Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Texas, urged Rollins to consider establishing a sterile fly facility in her south Texas district, where Moore Air Base is located.
The plan to reopen the facility for NWS sterile fly dispersal also comes on the heels of a letter sent to Rollins on Tuesday led by House Ag Chairman "GT" Thompson, R-Pa., and signed by 79 members of Congress from both parties. In the letter, representatives urged Rollins to build a domestic sterile fly facility.
Industry groups such as the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association have come out in strong support for the new facility. NCBA President Buck Wehrbein, who joined Rollins in south Texas today for the announcement, described the facility as the “cornerstone” of the country’s screwworm response plan.
The new facility is part of a five-pronged plan to control the parasite. Along with the sterile fly dispersal, this plan includes controlling the spread of NWS in Mexico, protecting the U.S. border from the pest, preparing health officials for potential outbreaks, and encouraging innovative practices in tackling NWS.
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Editor's Note: This article has been corrected to indicate that the $8.5 million sterile fly facility in Texas will be a dispersal facility, not a production facility.
