TSCRA CONVENTION Members Take on New World Screwworms, Toast Special Rangers By Larry Stalcup | Contributing Editor
D ue to the continued northward spread of New World screwworm (NWS) in Mexico, U.S. Ag Sec. Brooke Rollins announced May 11 the suspension of live cattle, horse and bison imports through U.S. ports of entry along the southern border (the suspension remained in place at press time). With Texas’ 1,250-mile border with Mexico, the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) is monitoring the NWS decision closely. The screwworms are reported within 700 miles of the Texas-Mexican border, and TSCRA is working closely with USDA to keep the deadly flies from squirming into Texas livestock herds. Rollins was keynote speaker at the TS- CRA Annual Convention in mid-April. With backing from TSCRA, Rollins announced April 30 that Mexico agreed to no longer prevent USDA aircraft from moving sterile flies into Mexico to help eradicate the screwworm threats. Rollins said the U.S. and Mexico con- tinue their efforts to halt and eradicate NWS in Mexico. However, despite these efforts, there has been unaccept- able northward advancement of NWS. USDA said additional action must be taken to slow the northern progression of this deadly parasitic fly. Carl Ray Polk, TSCRA president from
NWS fly larvae burrow into the flesh of a living animal, they cause serious, often deadly damage. APHIS said there have been numerous efforts to control and eradicate them. A successful eradication program in the Southeast led to an eradication program for the Southwest in 1962. Funded by the federal government, regional states Texas, New Mexico, Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma, and the rancher-led nonprof- it Southwest Animal Health Research Foundation, the $32 million program was declared a success in 1966. In the mid-1970s, USDA indicated that ranches spent about $132 million to erad- icate NWS. An economic analysis of the 1976 NWS outbreak in Texas showed that nearly 1.5 million cattle and 332,000 sheep and goats were infested with NWS that year. In 2025 numbers, that equates to more than $730 million, far too expensive for a producer-funded program. But since the NWS female flies mate only once, mating with the sterile male flies should prevent the development of more larvae. That’s why the program to infiltrate NWS-in- fested regions in Mexico is so important, Polk said. In early April, TSCRA leaders and others visited Panama, home of the world’s only large-scale NWS sterile fly production
a ranching family in East Texas near Lufkin, hailed USDA’s support for con- trolling NWS movement into Texas and potentially other states.“At the TSCRA Convention, Sec. Rollins pledged USDA’s support in preventing NWS from spread- ing from Mexico into the U.S.,” Polk told CALF News . “TSCRA takes the threat of New World screwworm seriously,” he added after the May 11 announcement.“We commend Sec. Rollins and USDA for making a difficult but necessary decision to close the southern border. While this action presents short-term challenges for cattle raisers, it is a critical step to secure the long-term health of the U.S. cattle herd. “Cooperation from the Mexican govern- ment is essential, and this move sends a clear signal about the urgency of the situation. Our association has consistent- ly supported a border closure if warrant- ed. While we continue to work toward a domestic sterile fly production facility, we are left to rely more heavily on ground- based containment efforts.” USDA said the import suspension will persist on a month-by-month basis until a significant window of containment is achieved. USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) said NWS is a devastating pest. NWS can infest livestock, pets, wildlife, occasionally birds and, in rare cases, people. When
16
www.calfnews.net
CALF News
June | July 2025
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker