The New World screwworm has officially returned to the U.S. with 33 confirmed infections in Texas and New Mexico since early June.
The flesh-eating larvae burrow into living tissue, killing infected animals within two weeks if left untreated.
Federal officials claim the food supply is safe, but inspections only catch visible problems after animals reach slaughterhouses.
Texas’s agricultural commissioner rejects relying solely on sterile flies, calling the USDA strategy inadequate and demanding insecticide traps.
An unchecked outbreak could cost Texas ranchers $1.8 billion, with Canada already banning livestock that passed through the state.
The New World screwworm, a parasitic flesh-eating fly eradicated from the United States in the 1960s, has officially returned, with 33 confirmed animal infections in Texas and New Mexico since early June. The first detection came June 3 in a three-week-old calf in Zavala County, Texas, and cases have since spread to include cattle, goats and a pet dog. Federal officials insist the food supply remains safe, but the response from state agricultural leaders suggests a deeper problem that could still hit American wallets.
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