U.S. agriculture agencies accelerate screwworm response as cattle industry risks mount

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U.S. agencies accelerate screwworm response

Highlights

USDA to accelerate $100 million in funding and deploy over 100 staff in Texas, confirming six screwworm cases in Texas and New Mexico.
FDA has issued 12 emergency-use or conditional approvals for screwworm treatments since September, with Elanco and Merck shipping newly cleared products to Texas stockpiles.
Screwworm containment faces pressure from shortages of sterile male flies and 25% staff attrition at Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, raising concerns over response capacity.

Federal response expands in Texas

As reported by Reuters, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is fast-tracking treatments, building a stockpile in Texas and sending additional personnel into affected areas as it tries to contain the parasite's spread. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said this week that the agency has been preparing since early last year and will distribute $100 million in funding earlier than expected for technologies aimed at combating screwworm.

The USDA says more than 100 staff are now working full-time on screwworm. So far, the agency has confirmed six cases in Texas and New Mexico involving four cows, a goat and a dog.

The Food and Drug Administration has issued 12 emergency use authorizations or conditional approvals for screwworm treatments since last September. Animal health companies including Elanco and Merck's animal health unit say they have worked with federal and Texas officials over the past year, with some newly cleared treatments being sent to a USDA stockpile in Texas.

Supply and staffing constraints pressure containment

The response is also facing pressure from a shortage of sterile male flies, one of the main tools used to interrupt screwworm reproduction. The USDA is deploying 100 million sterile flies produced each week at a plant in Panama, but officials say many millions more are needed, while a new production facility in Texas is not expected to open until late 2027.

Staffing levels have become another point of concern for lawmakers and veterinarians. The USDA's Office of Inspector General says more than 2,100 employees left the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service between January and June 2025, about 25% attrition, and Democratic senators warned this week that cuts could weaken the agency's ability to respond.

Rollins told the Senate Agriculture Committee that the lower headcount has not affected the screwworm effort. But ranchers in Texas are calling for stronger action, and veterinary groups say fewer public health veterinarians could hamper surveillance and rapid response if cases continue to spread.

Our earlier coverage of screwworm cases in Texas and New Mexico explained how the detection is intensifying concerns about U.S. livestock supply, with the USDA responding through sterile-fly releases, quarantine zones, and expanded surveillance. We also noted warnings that a larger-scale outbreak could cause significant economic damage and add pressure to beef prices at a time when cattle herds are already low.

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