cross-posted from: https://news.abolish.capital/post/54858
June 5, 2026 – The federal government is urging cattle ranchers to take precautions to combat further spread of New World screwworm (NWS) flies, following the first domestic detection since the 1960s on Wednesday.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed the presence of NWS in cattle in South Texas on Wednesday. The infected animal is a three-week-old calf, and the pest was found in its umbilical area. The detection comes as domestic cattle ranchers are already struggling with declining herd sizes and competition.
Female NWS flies lay eggs in an open wound of an animal, where the larvae hatch and eat away at the flesh. This in turn causes an infestation that can be fatal to the animal if left untreated.
NWS was eradicated in the United States in the 1960s, but it has remained active in Central America. The pest was detected in southern Mexico in November 2024 and has been steadily moving north.
“This confirmation marks a serious moment for American livestock producers and requires an immediate, coordinated response to protect animal health, the national cattle herd, America’s livestock producers, and our nation’s food supply,” Bill Bullard, CEO of the independent rancher organization R-CALF USA, said in a statement.
The USDA has created a 20-kilometer “infested zone” and implemented quarantines, movement control, and surveillance in the area around the calf’s herd. This won’t be lifted until the infection is contained and controlled, or at least 72 hours in this case. Additionally, the USDA will immediately deploy a targeted release of sterile NWS flies, which was part of the eradication strategy in the 1960s.
Before the detection, USDA shut down the U.S.-Mexico border to cattle imports due to cases of NWS in Mexico. In February, the USDA opened a Texas facility that can release up to 100 million sterile flies per week.
The agency will also expedite the creation of a second facility that has the capacity to produce about 300 million sterile flies per week. It will open next year, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said during a House Agriculture Committee hearing on Thursday.
The post New World Screwworm Returns to the U.S., Decades After Eradication appeared first on Civil Eats.
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Oh these are a type of blowfly. A Beelzebub Pestilence. Thanks big-balls.