AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) on Wednesday directed two state agencies to assemble a response team to combat the New World screwworm, which poses a serious threat to Texas livestock and wildlife.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, New World screwworms are a species of fly larvae that infest and feed off the flesh of warm-blooded animals.
In a news release, Abbott said, “The mission for the Response Team is clear: to lead Texas’ prevention and response efforts and ensure that Texas remains informed, prepared, and aligned to prevent the re-emergence of this destructive parasite.”
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) and the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) are responsible for establishing the Texas New World Screwworm Response Team.
“As a border state, Texas represents the first line of defense against the potential re-entry of this harmful pest into the United States,” Abbott wrote in a letter to TPWD and TAHC. “Texas played a critical role in eradicating this pest from the United States in the 1960s and will do so again if the need arises.”
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins recently announced a multi-national program to stop the spread of screwworms.
The U.S. planned to invest $8.5 million in a dispersal site from Moore Air Base and $20 million in a facility in Mexico that produces sterilized screwworms. The insects will then be released by planes over Mexico to stop them from coming to the U.S.
