National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
Today, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) announced strong support for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) 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 Moore 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 NCBA President Buck 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, we need upwards of 300 million sterile flies per week. During the height of screwworm eradication efforts in the 1960s, the United States released 400 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. 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 U.S. most at risk. New World screwworm is a threat to cattle health but does not impact the safety of our food supply.
Text, images and video provided by NCBA.
Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins today announced Moore Airfield Base in South Texas as a location for a U.S.-based sterile fly dispersal facility to combat the spread of the New World screwworm (NWS). The announcement comes after a resurgence of NWS in southern Mexico that has prompted significant actions from both lawmakers and federal agencies to protect the U.S. agricultural industry.
Stephen Diebel, Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association first vice president, attended the announcement to show the association’s support and emphasize the importance of protecting the U.S. beef herd.
“Today’s announcement is pivotal in protecting the U.S. cattle industry,” said Diebel. “Sterile flies are the only known way to stop the reproduction and continued expansion of NWS, and it’s assuring to see Secretary Rollins follow through her early commitments to increasing production of sterile flies domestically.”
The dispersal facility is anticipated to be complete by the end of 2025, with future plans for a domestic fly rearing facility. Before this announcement, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved $165 million in emergency funding to combat NWS. These funds have been committed to support the release of sterile male flies to control the screwworm population and the establishment of USDA-approved inspection and treatment holding pens near the border.
As the only sterile fly facility in the world, COPEG in Pacora, Panamá is currently operating at full capacity and producing up to 117 million flies per week. As the NWS migrates north, the need for additional flies will continue to rise. While NWS can be treated, the only proven method for eradication is releasing sterile male flies to mate with wild females to collapse the population over time. The U.S. owned a facility in Chiapas during the screwworm outbreak in the 1960s but has since been closed.
“Texas cattle raisers are taking the threat of NWS seriously, and to have leadership who understand the importance of mitigation efforts will help protect the U.S. beef herd, said Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association President Carl Ray Polk Jr. “These actions, including steps to protect our beef supply at key entry points, will be essential to prevent the spread of NWS and safeguard the livelihoods of ranchers and landowners across the continent.”
