An $8.5 million sterile fly dispersal facility in Texas, poised to release millions of insects this year, underscores the urgency of preventing the pest from crossing into U.S. herds.

Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced the Moore Air Base site on June 18 as part of a broader five-pronged strategy to reinforce border defenses and collaborate with Mexico. "The United States has defeated NWS before, and we will do it again," Rollins stated, emphasizing sterile insect technology (SIT) as a proven solution. The facility joins a $21 million production plant in Mexico, with combined weekly fly output projected to reach 160-300 million — a critical shield against a parasite capable of laying 3,000 eggs per female.

NWS females target wounds on warm-blooded animals, including cattle, dogs and even humans. Larvae burrow into flesh, causing severe infections that can kill livestock within weeks. Recent NWS detections in Mexico's Oaxaca and Veracruz states, just 700 miles from Texas, prompted the U.S. to halt imports of live animals from Mexico on May 11. Agricultural officials warn that a modern outbreak could mimic the economic toll of the 1976 Texas crisis, which cost over $1 billion in today's dollars.

A scalpel, not a sledgehammer: The sterile insect tactic's rebirth

The New World Screwworm reached eradication status in the U.S. by the 1960s through SIT, a method pioneered in the 1950s using gamma radiation to sterilize male flies. When released, these flies outcompeted wild males, collapsing local populations each mating cycle.

Yet decades later, scientists and ranchers now face a dual challenge: preventing illegal reintroduction and addressing "lazy" mass-reared flies, which past USDA programs deemed ineffective. The new Texas facility, situated just 20 miles from the border, is designed to optimize efficiency. "We learned from previous efforts but are scaling up production and precision targeting," Rollins explained.

The plan also includes research into next-gen technology, including genetic modifications and e-beam sterilization. "We'll use every tool," said Rollins, citing land-grant universities as partners in refining traps, surveillance and training.