The New World Screwworm (NWS) recently was found in American cattle and has gone from a threat moving northward to a near and present danger for U.S.livestock producers.
The most effective tool against NWS is also one of the simplest: releasing sterile flies that mate with wild screwworms and collapse the population over time.It is a proven strategy, but it requires planning, infrastructure, and international cooperation long before a crisis reaches our border.As a row crop farmer who has raised cattle and served as the U.S.
Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture from 2019-2021, I have seen firsthand how quickly agricultural pests can threaten food systems and rural economies.Given that screwworm is now here, it is more important than ever for experts to be factual about the situation and understand the decisive actions this Administration has taken and will continue to take.Transboundary animal disease threats can devastate both agriculture and economies.
During my time in Rome, the Desert Locust tore through eastern Africa.Working through the U.N.
Food and Agriculture Organization, we coordinated an international response, secured funding, and developed long-term containment strategies.US SHUTS SOUTHERN BORDER TO LIVESTOCK IMPORTS TO STOP SPREAD OF DEADLY FLIESCochliomyia hominovorax is the primary screwworm fly in the New World.Larvae are obligate parasites of living flesh in humans and other mammals. (USDA)We fought similar situations with the African Swine Fever in China and Southeast Asia, as well as the Fall Armyworm in Africa.
When biosecurity fails at scale, economic devastation, years of recovery, and permanent scars can be left on every community.Protecting food systems and responding to threats requires swift action and coordination between agencies and affected nations.The New World Screwworm is not a new threat, and it certainly did not catch anyone off-guard.
The U.S.Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rolli...