A flesh-eating parasite that had been kept out of U.S.livestock for decades has been detected in Texas, threatening the nation’s cattle industry and food supply at a time when prices are already high.
Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.The case of New World screwworm was confirmed in a 3-week-old calf in La Pryor, near the U.S.-Mexico border, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said late Wednesday.The parasitic fly’s larvae feed exclusively on the living tissue of warm-blooded animals.While the fly is capable of infecting humans and pets, such cases are rare and pose little risk to the broader public, according to experts.Add NBC News to GoogleWar with Iran threatens global food supply chain02:40The parasite does not pose a food safety threat, but a wider outbreak could still cost the livestock industry billions of dollars and put additional pressure on beef prices that are already at record highs.
The case is the first confirmed detection of New World screwworm in Texas since 1966, and is the only confirmed case identified in the country so far, said Rollins.It follows months of warnings from U.S.and Texas agriculture officials and cattle industry leaders, as the pest steadily moved north through Mexico toward the American border.“For months, the screwworm has advanced rapidly through Mexico in spite of the USDA’s existing gameplan,” Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said Wednesday, adding that “instead of using every available tool, USDA moved too slowly and relied solely on a partial solution that takes years to fully implement.” Miller has also called on President Donald Trump to take direct control of the government’s response, and “throw every available federal resource at this threat before it becomes a full-blown agricultural disaster.”A test container of dyed fly pupae are displayed at a facility to combat the northward spread of NWS and protect American live...