In today’s Beef Buzz, Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays speaks with Oklahoma State Veterinarian Dr. Rod Hall after Mexican authorities reported another New World screw worm case about 70 miles south of Laredo, about the increasing urgency of the situation. Dr. Hall agreed that the discovery “ups the level of urgency to be ready, just in case,” explaining that the proximity of the new case makes preparedness more important, even if the likelihood of the flies spreading into Oklahoma remains unlikely.
Secretary Brooke Rollins reported via X on Monday evening “USDA landed boots on the ground this morning in Nuevo Leon, physically inspecting traps and dispersing sterile flies after the detection of the single case yesterday.” She adds “The southern border remains closed to livestock trade, and we are aggressively expanding trapping and surveillance. At the same time, we’re expediting operations at our sterile fly dispersal facility at Moore Air Base in Texas.”
Dr. Hall emphasized that the greatest near-term risk is human-assisted movement of livestock rather than the flies themselves. “This just emphasizes how movement of livestock, and in this case, cattle, can unnaturally move the infestation much more quickly than what Mother Nature will move it if, if left unchecked,” he said. He added, “I really don’t have a lot of concern about the screw worn flies moving into Texas, or certainly not into Oklahoma on their own,” but stressed illegal or unchecked animal movements change the risk picture.
He warned about practical obstacles to imposing movement restrictions: “One of the big, big problems is simply not having enough inspectors to be able to handle all the movement. There’s not enough large animal vets out there.” Dr. Hall described how requiring certificates of veterinary inspection for many loads would create logistical strain, not unwillingness, and said the core issue is finding the personnel and systems to do the inspections.
Dr. Hall had a direct plea to producers: if you’re bringing animals from the south “just take a really close look at them when you when you purchase them or when you unload them, and if you see any wounds or any larvae or anything, be aware that that’s how we could get it here.” He urged people to “report that to us and and let us go ahead and find out for sure,” so authorities can confirm or rule out screw worm quickly.
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
