Abbott, Rollins announce plans to address screwworm threat on cattle, livestock

AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Friday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins publicly addressed plans to fight against the New World screwworm, which has disrupted the livestock and cattle industries.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, New World screwworms is an invasive species that burrows fly larvae into fresh wounds of living animals like livestock, pets and occasionally people. The damage they cause can be deadly.

During a press conference, Rollins announced a new sterile fly production facility in Edinburg, Texas. The facility will breed three hundred million flies a week.

Additionally, the Trump administration will invest in the development of technology and work closer with Mexico to track the screwworm population.

"We have a lot of data to collect. We have a lot of work to do. But we have to protect our beef and cattle industry in this country," Rollins said.

Abbott said during the press conference that screwworms, which feed on cattle and deer, could result in billions of losses each year.

"This is an issue that is essential to the cattle industry, to the food supply which are at risk," Governor Abbott said.

The animal is named after their feeding behavior, with the larvae screwing into the flesh of their victims.

Larry Gilbert, a professor at the Univerosty of Texas and the faculty director of the Brackenridge Field Lab, said he was more concerned about the impact New World screwworms could have on the deer population.

"The deer herds would be very vulnerable to this, and you don't go around treating wounds on deer. Its hard to find them," Gilbert said.

In June, the Department of Agriculture reported that screwworms were detected about 700 miles from the southern border. Cattle imports were suspended from Mexico to prevent an infestation in the states.

This drew concern from Abbott earlier in the year. He established a Texas New World Screwworm Response Team.

According to Peyton Schuman, senior director of government relations for the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, a screwworm outbreak could cost Texas around $1.8 billion in damages to livestock annually.

The state's hunting industry could also face issues. During the 1960s outbreak, 80 percent of Texas's white tailed deer died as a result of screwworms.

The species originates in Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and some countries in South America. The pests were mostly eradicated in the U.S. in the 1960s, but they have occasionally reemerged in Central America and Mexico.

According to the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension office, the population is controlled through the release of sterile males into the population. Using sterile populations for control was developed at the University of Texas in Austin by entomologists, Edward F. Knipling and Raymond C. Bushland.

Signs of an animal infested with the New World screwworm include:

• Foul-smelling wounds with maggots
• Animals biting or licking their wounds
• Lesions in bellybuttons, ears and where branding has occured
• Lethargy

If an infestation is suspected, Texas A&M Agrilife recommends you contact authorities, like the Texas Animal Health Commission and Texas Parks and Wildlife, and notify your veterinarian.

You should then inspect the animal for signs of infestation and collect any samples to give to authorities. There are several treatment options, including topical treatments.