Texas Screwworm Sterile Fly Facility to Open 7 Months Ahead of Schedule

Reuters’ Leah Douglas reported that “the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in ​a post on X on Monday that ‌a Texas facility to breed sterile flies to combat screwworm will open ahead of schedule in spring 2027. Previously, the ​agency said the plant would open at ​the end of next year.”

“The first U.S. ⁠infestation of the parasitic New World screwworm fly in ​three decades was detected in Texas in June, ​threatening as much as $1 billion in losses to the state’s livestock industry,” Douglas reported. “The main tool used to combat screwworm is ​the dispersal of sterile screwworm flies, which ​are mostly produced in Panama at a plant that churns ‌out ⁠100 million flies per week.”

“The planned Texas plant would produce an additional 100 million sterile flies per week by the end of 2027, according ​to the ​post on ⁠X from the USDA’s New World Screwworm Rapid Response account. That production would ​reach up to 300 million per week ​by ⁠the end of 2028, the post said,” according to Douglas’ reporting. “Experts have said about 500 million sterile flies are needed ⁠to ​push screwworm southward to the ​Darien Gap, the stretch of rainforest between Panama and Colombia.”

USDA, DHS Formalize Biosecurity Agreement to Fight Screwworm

Progressive Farmer’s Jennifer Carrico reported that “U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott met at Moore Air Base in Texas Monday to sign a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) between USDA and the Department of Homeland Security. The agreement formalizes a coordinated federal response to agricultural biosecurity threats — including New World screwworm (NWS).”

“The agreement covers five core areas designed to strengthen the federal response to agricultural biosecurity threats at and beyond the border,” Carrico reported. “USDA and DHS will deploy unmanned aircraft systems and artificial intelligence to sharpen screening and interdiction at ports of entry, real-time data sharing between agencies to accelerate response from frontline inspections through to broader disease management.”

At Moore Air Base in Texas, @SecRollins announced a new Memorandum of Understanding with @DHSgov and a crack down on illicit livestock movements from Mexico into the U.S. 💪

By increasing patrols, collaborating with DHS, and strengthening inspections, we are defending American… pic.twitter.com/JN3FC0Ji4d

— Dept. of Agriculture (@USDA) August 11, 2026

“The MOU also formalizes agency roles and expands joint operational capabilities, pairing DHS’s enforcement authorities with USDA’s technical expertise during high-consequence biosecurity events,” Carrico reported. “Clear protocols for joint training, capacity building, and defined departmental responsibilities are included to ensure both agencies are prepared to respond swiftly to threats targeting the nation’s food and agriculture sectors.”

“Also in the agreement is a commitment to expand research collaboration, including working with DHS Centers of Excellence, aimed at developing next-generation screening, detection and mitigation tools for NWS and other emerging threats,” Carrico reported. “Officials (also) cited the MOU’s role in addressing a significant problem of cattle smuggling along the Southern border.”

Mexican Cattle Imports Still Expected to Resume This Month

Meatingplace’s Frank Fuhrig reported that “JBS’s money-losing U.S. beef segment could become profitable — or at least approach breaking even — if this month’s scheduled reopening of the Mexican cattle imports leads to a full resumption of trade volume, JBS USA chief executive Wesley Batista Filho said Tuesday.”

“About 1.25 million cattle were imported in 2024 before livestock imports were halted late that year. After a brief reopening that winter, the trade, which was the source of about 5% of U.S. slaughter volume by head, has been halted since May 2025,” Fuhrig reported. “The first inland port is scheduled to open to Mexican cattle on Aug. 24, with two more planned in the weeks to follow. It will take months before cattle head to U.S. stockers and feedlots begin reaching packing houses in meaningful numbers.”

“‘Assuming the ports reopen as expected, we believe we will continue to see increasing cattle available for slaughter during the first quarter of 2027, with slaughter volumes returning to a more normal level by the second quarter,’ Batista Filho said,” according to Fuhrig’s reporting.