The New World screwworm fly has resurged in Texas, threatening the $113 billion U.S. cattle industry and triggering the construction of a $750 million sterile fly breeding facility near Edinburg, about 20 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border.. First detected in a calf in La Pryor in January 2025, the outbreak marks the first U.S. case since 1966 and has prompted a coordinated federal-state response,with Governor Greg Abbott pledging state funds for round-the-clock construction, as reported by the source.

The $750 million sterile-fly factory 20 miles from the border

According to the source, the new facility near Edinburg will be the size of two Costco stores and is slated to produce up to 300 million sterile flies per week.. Officials have expedited planning and construction, reducing timelines from a year to a few months, with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins hoping it will be operational before its planned November 2027 opening date. Governor Abbott has emphasized that Texas is willing to allocate state funds to ensure round-the-clock construction, stating that without increased sterile fly production, the state cannot survive a second summer of the outbreak.

Why 8 million flies a week is not enough — the 500 million target

As the source reports, the USDA has already released 130 million sterile flies in Texas as of early 2025, with aerial drops of about 4 million per week and ground releases of pupae totaling another 4 million weekly. However, experts warn that these numbers are insufficient; past eradication campaigns required about 500 million flies per week. The USDA has invested $21 million to convert a facility in southern Mexico from breeding fruit flies to producing screwworm flies, with operations expected to begin in April 2025 and eventually produce 100 million sterile flies per week. The combined output from both factories — 400 million per week — still falls short of the historical benchmark, leaving a critical gap that officials must close to prevent the pest from becoming established.

A Panama outbreak in 2023 and a La Pryor calf in 2025: tracing the return

The current crisis began when an outbreak in Panama in 2023 signaled the fly's return to regions where it had been considered eradicated, according to the source. The New World screwworm, which lays eggs in open wounds and mucous membranes of warm-blooded animals including cattle, pets, and humans, had been eliminated from the U.S. by the early 1970s through sterile insect technique. A case in Florida in 2016 and recent detections in Mexico and Texas have shown the pest's resilience. In January 2025, the USDA confirmed the first case in Texas since 1966 in a calf in La Pryor, about 100 miles southwest of San Antonio and 50 miles from the Mexico boder, triggering the current federal and state response.

The 80% drop in Mexican cattle imports and the supply chain pressure

Economically, the beef supply is unlikely to be significantly affected unless cattle movement is severely restricted or feedlots become infested, which experts deem unlikely, as the source notes. however, cattle prices have already been elevated due to supply shortages, and the screwworm adds pressure. Mexican cattle imports, once 1.2 million animals annually, dropped 80% last year after the USDA closed ports of entry due to the outbreak. Darrell Peel, an agribusiness professor at Oklahoma State University, noted that while the screwworm is an additional burden, it is not a major price driver compared to other factors like drought and herd rebuilding. The report says the USDA is using scientific models to optimize dispersal locations, and state veterinarian Bud Dinges reported that traps have been deployed up to 120 miles from La Pryor to monitor fly movement.