NCBA supports USDA plan for screwworm sterile fly facility in Texas

EDINBURG, Texas — The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association announced strong support for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s plan to build a New World screwworm sterile fly facility at Moore Air Base in south Texas.

NCBA President Buck Wehrbein and NCBA Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane joined Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins at the Edinburg air base for her press announcement.

“The only way to protect the American cattle herd from the devastating threat of New World screwworm is by having a sufficient supply of sterile flies to push this pest away from our border,” said Wehrbein, a Nebraska cattleman.

“To accomplish that, we need a sterile fly production facility of our own in the United States. Moore Air Base was previously part of our nation’s screwworm eradication effort in the 1960s and now this base will be the cornerstone of our renewed fight against this parasite.

“NCBA, and state affiliate partners, including the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association and Texas Cattle Feeders Association, have been pushing for a facility like this since the start of the year. We appreciate Secretary Rollins’ continued work to protect American agriculture from the New World screwworm. It’s an honor to join her in Texas for this important event.”

Currently, only one facility in the world produces sterile screwworm flies. The facility, located in Panama, can produce about 117 million flies per week, but to form an effective barrier along the U.S. southern border, upwards of 300 million sterile flies per week are needed.

During the height of screwworm eradication efforts in the 1960s, the United States released 400 million to 500 million sterile flies per week.

NCBA previously supported USDA’s investment of $21 million to convert an existing fruit fly facility in Metapa, Mexico, to produce New World screwworm sterile flies.

NCBA said this conversion is an important part of the overall strategy to counter screwworm in Mexico, but additional sterile fly production within our borders is also needed to protect the U.S. cattle herd long term.

Moore Air Base is an ideal location for U.S. sterile fly production. The base previously trained fighter pilots in WWII before serving as a dispersal location for screwworm fly eradication efforts in the 1960s and beyond.

The base’s proximity to the border would also make it easy for sterile flies to quickly be deployed to the areas of the United States most at risk.

New World screwworm is a threat to cattle health, but does not impact the safety of our food supply.