Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays talked to Congressman Frank Lucas about the escalating concern over the New World screwworm. This pest, once eradicated from the United States, is now encroaching from the south due to “lax monitoring and enforcement.” Congressman Lucas emphasized the severe threat this poses to livestock, wildlife, and even humans, recalling a time when, “in two weeks’ time, an untreated animal, a cow, a calf, a steer, will be eaten alive.” The conversation highlighted the critical need for immediate and aggressive action to prevent a repeat of the devastating outbreaks of the 1930s to early 1960s.
Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins has taken swift and decisive action to combat the screwworm’s advance. Congressman Lucas praised her efforts, noting that she “put the hammer down on our neighbors to the south a few weeks ago and said, We cannot allow any screw worm flies to get to the United States. And she sealed the border.” This bold move was a direct message to southern neighbors regarding their “sloppy” monitoring. Beyond sealing the border, Secretary Rollins is pushing for increased production of sterile screwworm flies at existing facilities in Panama and is taking emergency action to construct a new sterilization facility in South Texas. The goal is to quickly “get the production up and get these things under control.”
The strategy to combat the screwworm relies heavily on a proven scientific method: the Sterile Insect Technique. Congressman Lucas explained this intricate process, detailing how “they could produce screw worm flies use X rays to sterilize them, dump hundreds of billions and billions of them out into the wild, mate with the wild flies and produce sterile offspring.” This method proved highly successful in the past, eradicating the screwworm from the United States and pushing it back to the Panama Canal. The current efforts aim to replicate this success, utilizing emergency authority to ramp up production and distribution of these sterile flies, including potentially utilizing “a old fruit fruit fly plant in Mexico as well.”
The battle against the screwworm is not solely a federal undertaking; it requires significant cooperation from neighboring countries and vigilance from producers. Congressman Lucas stressed the long-standing commitment of the United States to this program, stating, “We have paid for decades and decades to United States has to produce these flies and dump them out.” He underscored the importance of continued monitoring and cooperation from other nations to prevent re-infestation. Furthermore, the conversation touched upon the need for education to ensure producers understand how to deal with the screwworm if it does reach the United States.
The discussion concluded with a powerful reminder of the indispensable role of science in safeguarding agriculture and food security. Congressman Lucas emphasized that “it never should be underestimated how important science is to agriculture.” He cited not only the screwworm eradication program but also the successful boll weevil and brucellosis eradication programs as testaments to how scientific advancements have dramatically improved the safety and dependability of the food supply. This continued reliance on scientific innovation and cooperative efforts is crucial to prevent history from repeating itself, as Congressman Lucas reiterated, “we don’t want to repeat that history.”
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