A second case of the flesh-eating New World screwworm has been confirmed in South Texas, intensifying concerns among agricultural officials and prompting Canada to suspend livestock imports from Texas as…
Screwworm Confirmed in New Mexico for First Time
Bloomberg’s Ilena Peng reported that “the US Department of Agriculture confirmed an additional three cases of New World screwworm, bringing the total number of detections in the US to five and raising concerns over a broader spread of the parasite.”
“The fly was detected in a calf in La Salle County, Texas, a goat in Gillespie County, Texas, and a dog in New Mexico, the agency said Monday,” according to Peng’s reporting. “That comes after two cases were confirmed last week in calves in Zavala County in South Texas, marking the first US detection of the fly in over a decade, and the first in cattle in about five decades.”
“The detection in La Salle County is close to Zavala, where the past two cattle cases were confirmed. But the confirmation of screwworm in the dog places the pest far outside that region and across state lines,” Peng reported. “The animal had initially been linked to Andrews County in Texas because it was reported by a veterinarian in the state, but the dog’s home is in Lea County, New Mexico, the USDA clarified later Monday.”
“While that is ‘believed to be an isolated case,’ the USDA and state partners are inspecting additional animals in the dog’s home and increasing outreach in the area ‘because the dog’s recent travel and exposure history remain unknown,’ the agency said,” according to Peng’s reporting. “The USDA said earlier that the dog was believed to be in Mexico recently. The agency is also gathering more details of the case involving the goat.”
USDA Outlines Ongoing Eradication Efforts
AgWeb’s Angie Stump Denton and Haley Bickelhaupt reported that “calling NWS ‘an ever-evolving and dynamic situation,’ (Agriculture Secretary Brooke) Rollins details a rapid build‑out of infrastructure aimed at keeping the pest in check.”
“To speed up the NWS confirmation process, Rollins reports the National Vet Laboratory team from Ames, Iowa, relocated to the Knipling-Bushland Lab late last week,” Stump Denton and Bickelhaupt reported. “…By this weekend, (Texas Governor Greg) Abbott says, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, working with the Texas Animal Health Commission, will publish an NWS training module so more so ranchers and cattlemen can be certified to inspect their animals to ensure no interruptions to the continuity of business.”
🧵 Sec. Rollins outlines @USDA’s aggressive response to New World Screwworm:
USDA is rapidly expanding sterile fly production and dispersal capacity, a core pillar of the federal eradication strategy.
A dispersal facility in South Texas was launched last year, and tens of… pic.twitter.com/g998W7fy78
— New World Screwworm Rapid Response (@Screwworm_RR) June 8, 2026
“Sterile fly deployment is already underway. Four million sterile flies were released within 24 hours of the first confirmed case. The goal is 500 million sterile flies per week — mirroring the scale that achieved eradication in the 1960s to 1980s,” Stump Denton and Bickelhaupt reported. “…The Army Corps of Engineers is treating this like a wartime priority. A dedicated colonel has been assigned to the Edinburg fly production facility build as his sole mission, modeled on emergency timelines used in Maui school reconstruction.”
Texas A&M Regent Appointed as Senior Advisor for New World Screwworm Preparedness
KRIS 6 News’ Shane Rackley reported that “President Donald J. Trump has appointed John Bellinger as Senior Advisor for New World Screwworm Preparedness at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.”
“U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced the appointment Monday. In his new role, Bellinger will integrate into USDA’s team to help drive its effort to explore all available technologies to combat the New World Screwworm,” Rackley reported. “…Bellinger currently serves on the Texas A&M Board of Regents after being appointed by Governor Greg Abbott in 2023, where he serves as Chair of the Committee on Research. He resides in San Antonio and is the co-founder, with his wife Gina, and the former CEO of Food Safety Net Services. He is currently a board member of the recently merged company between Food Safety Net Services and the Certified Group. He is the CEO of Agri-West International food exporter as well as Bellinger Development.”
