By Kay Ledbetter
Livestock producers need to take steps now to prepare as the New World screwworm approaches the Texas-Mexico border, according to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service livestock specialists.
Necessary action now breaks down to three areas: plan, prepare and monitor the situation and livestock, said AgriLife Extension livestock specialists Ron Gill, Ph.D., professor, Chico, and Karl Harborth, Ph.D., assistant professor, Corpus Christi, both in the Department of Animal Science.
With the latest report of New World screwworm in Mexico, only 149 miles from the Texas border, Harborth said the threat is more imminent to South Texas producers. While some progressive ranchers have already made changes in their operations, he said many producers still need to develop plans for the pest’s arrival.
“I don’t think a lot of us thought it would be an issue in our lifetime,” Harborth said. “There are still people who don’t know what screwworm is and the possibilities it brings.”
Best treatment is management and preparation
Gill and Harborth said producers’ questions at New World screwworm-related meetings have been focused on treatment.
There is no magic cure or foolproof treatment, so preparation and management should be No. 1 on the list, they said.
Source : tamu.edu