Texas Senate Panel Convenes Emergency Hearing on New World Screwworm as Parasite Nears Border

The Texas Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs convened an emergency hearing this week to address the escalating threat of New World Screwworm approaching the Texas-Mexico border. The panel brought together federal and state experts to discuss coordinated response efforts and the timeline for critical infrastructure designed to halt the parasite's advance.

Deputy Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Dudley Hoskins, Texas Parks and Wildlife Executive Director David Yoskowitz, Texas A&M University Entomology Department Head Phillip Kaufman, and veterinarians from the Texas Animal Health Commission testified before the committee, providing updates on containment strategies and sterile fly production capabilities.

Accelerated Facility Construction

Hoskins detailed aggressive efforts to expand sterile fly production capacity at Moore Air Base in Texas. On March 9, Secretary Rollins announced a new contract with Mortensen Construction to build a state-of-the-art sterile fly production facility, with permitting expedited to cut four to five years from typical government timelines.

"The bottom line is we need more flies," Hoskins told the committee. "We're expecting 100 million sterile flies to come out of that facility by November 2027, with up to 300 million total by the end of 2028."

The U.S. is also assisting Mexico with retrofitting its facility in Metapa. Construction should be completed later this summer, with brood stock established shortly after. Mexico expects to produce approximately 100 million sterile flies by year-end.

Combined, these facilities will generate roughly 500 million sterile flies weekly — the same production level that successfully eliminated screwworm from the United States in 1966.

Understanding the Threat

Dr. Phillip Kaufman explained that unlike migratory species, screwworm flies spread primarily through human activity. "This fly moves because humans load animals onto trailers or vehicles and drive them many hundreds of miles," he said. "That's why we traditionally had this fly get into the Midwestern states, the Great Plains states, was humans moved animals to those areas during the summertime."

While the fly thrives in summer conditions, it remains fundamentally a tropical species making incursions into temperate regions. This pattern has historically driven outbreaks in the central United States during warmer months.

State-Level Concerns

The hearing also highlighted concerns about Texas Parks and Wildlife Department readiness. Warren Cude, Texas Farm Bureau Vice President and Pecos County rancher, testified that TPWD needs additional focus and resources to address the threat effectively.

"TPWD can do this, but it needs to focus on the priority at hand before it's too late," Cude stated. His testimony included a list of foundational preparedness items identified by landowners and Farm Bureau members that remain incomplete.

Texas Wildlife Association and Texas Deer Association representatives also provided comments during the hearing, underscoring the broad agricultural and wildlife implications of a potential screwworm outbreak.

Background on the Crisis

New World Screwworm poses a severe threat to livestock, wildlife, and pets. The parasite's larvae feed on living tissue, creating deep wounds that can kill animals within days if untreated. The current outbreak has prompted emergency declarations and triggered coordinated federal-state response protocols.

For more information on New World Screwworm prevention and response, visit screwwormtx.org or screwworm.org.