US Builds $8.5M Sterile Fly Plant to Halt Flesh-Eating Parasite Threatening Livestock
The United States government has launched an $8.5 million initiative to build a sterile fly breeding facility in Texas, aiming to contain a resurgence of flesh-eating screwworm parasites.
Situated just 20 miles from the US-Mexico border, the factory will produce and release millions of sterile male screwworm flies to break the reproduction cycle of the pest.
The program, led by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), is in direct response to a 2024 outbreak in Mexico that endangered livestock populations.
The New World screwworm, once eradicated in the US during the 1960s, has reemerged in southern Mexico, prompting alarm among agricultural and veterinary authorities.
These parasites infest open wounds in warm-blooded animals, where their larvae burrow into flesh, causing severe infections that can kill cattle and potentially harm pets, wildlife, and even humans.
To suppress the threat, the USDA is reinstating a proven method from the past—releasing sterile male flies into the wild to mate with females and halt the production of offspring.
This biological control strategy helped eliminate the screwworm across the southeastern US decades ago.
The Texas plant will become only the second such facility in the Western Hemisphere, following the longstanding Panamanian factory that has served as a barrier to northern migration.
According to the New York Post, USDA officials are concerned after the parasite was detected just 700 miles south of the US border—raising fears of an incursion by late summer, aligning with peak calving season.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins labeled the factory “an essential countermeasure” to shield domestic herds and prevent major losses in the meat and dairy sectors.
In addition to the Texas site, the USDA is investing $21 million to convert an existing fruit fly plant near Guatemala into a second screwworm-focused breeding center, scheduled to be operational by the end of 2026.
A third companion facility near the new Texas plant is also in the pipeline, with the capacity to produce up to 300 million sterile flies per week, scaling up the response significantly.
Mexico’s Agriculture Secretary Julio Berdegué applauded the cross-border collaboration, stating that it would strengthen regional cooperation and possibly fast-track the resumption of Mexican cattle exports.
“This is a positive step in strengthening the cooperation and science-based strategies between our nations,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The USDA stressed that swift containment of the screwworm is critical—not just to protect livestock, but to shield public health and the broader economy.
