The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $750 million to build a factory in southern Texas dedicated to breeding billions of sterile New World screwworm flies. This initiative aims to prevent the spread of these flesh-eating maggots from Mexico into the U.S., protecting the American cattle industry from potentially billions of dollars in damage. The sterile male flies, once released, mate with wild females producing non-viable eggs, gradually reducing the pest population. Alongside this, the USDA plans to deploy $100 million in additional technology and increase border patrol efforts, including horseback “tick riders” and trained dogs, to control the threat.

The U.S. has closed its border to cattle, horse, and bison imports from Mexico multiple times recently due to infestations, with reopening contingent on pushing the pest back toward Panama. The pest was eradicated in the U.S. in the 1970s through similar sterile fly programs, but recent outbreaks in Mexico have prompted renewed action. Mexico and the U.S. have signed a joint control plan involving monitoring and regulated livestock movement to combat the issue. The new Texas factory will be the first of its kind on U.S. soil in decades, aiming to reduce reliance on fly breeding facilities in Mexico and Panama and enhance proactive pest control measures.