Border Remains Closed to Cattle as USDA Rolls Out Plan to Stop Spread of Parasite

By Nina Kravinsky

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced a plan to combat the spread of the New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite that affects cattle.

The USDA’s plan involves the construction of a fly production facility in Texas near the Mexico border, which will have the capacity to produce 300 million sterile flies per week.

Those flies produce no offspring when they mate, so overwhelming the population with them ideally leads to a reduction or eradication of the pest.