The Brief
Texas and the federal government are committing $850 million to combat the new American screwworm fly, a parasitic insect that poses a severe threat to livestock.
The screwworm was mostly eradicated in the U.S. in the 1960s, but is now invading from the south and is close to the Texas-Mexico border.
The money will be spent on building a facility near the border to produce 300 million sterile male flies a week, which will be released to reduce the wild population.
DALLAS - Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the U.S. Agriculture Secretary met on Friday to announce steps to battle an invasive species that is threatening the state’s livestock.
Those steps include a federal cash infusion of about $850 million.
New American Screwworm Fly
What we know
The average Texan has likely never heard of the new American screwworm fly. Most also don’t understand how potentially dangerous it is.
The inset gets its name because it’s only found in the Americas.
It lays its eggs in the open wounds of animals, and its larvae become parasites, threatening livestock, domestic animals, and even people.
The screwworm was mostly eradicated in Texas and the United States in the 60s. But now, it’s moving north up from Panama and is a little over 300 miles from the Texas-Mexico border.
What they're saying
"Its peril is not just in the cause but because it endangers the livelihoods of our livestock. It endangers our livestock industry. And it threatens the stability of beef prices across America," said U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.
"This is an enormous challenge, and you need to understand the magnitude just in Texas. This could result in billions of dollars in losses a year. It could truly crush the cattle industry and other livestock industry in Texas," Abbott said.
By the numbers
The threat is so potentially devastating to the U.S. food supply that the federal government is committing $850 million to fight it.
Most of that money will be spent on building a sterile male fly production facility near the border.
The facility will produce 300 million sterile male flies a week to be dropped into target areas where the screwworm is now. Those male flies help to reduce the population size through mating without reproducing.
A much smaller portion of the funding will be used for screwworm detection technology.
In addition, the federal government has already spent $21 million on a sterile fly production facility in Mexico.
And a couple of months ago, Secretary Rollins ordered the closure of livestock trade through southern ports of entry.
The Source
FOX 4's Shaun Rabb gathered information in this story from a news conference held by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.
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