NEWS
Bipartisan legislation looks to tackle New World screwworm crisis
Bill would create funding for research and staffing to battle the paraside
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Legislators have teamed up to create a bipartisan bill that would help tackle growing concern for wildlife and cattle after a New World screwworm fly infected a dog in southern New Mexico earlier this month.
The Protecting America鈥檚 Herd Act, sponsored by Rep. Gabe Vasquez, D-N.M., would create a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant program to help train and educate new inspectors to identify and manage the screwworm outbreak.
鈥淚t would also help prioritize support for the states and tribal communities that are facing the greatest risk,鈥� Vasquez said at a Thursday news conference. 鈥淭his is about getting help on the front lines before the problem becomes a full-blown national crisis with devastating effects locally.鈥�
The bill is co-sponsored by 13 others, including Rep. Teresa Leger-Fern谩ndez, D-N.M., and Republican Michael McCaul of Texas.
is based at New Mexico State University and serves all 33 counties in the state. Cooperative extension officers create partnerships at the federal, state and county levels to provide resources and educational programs that are typically centered around agriculture and natural resources.
Vasquez said he will ask for 鈥渨hatever it costs鈥� to fund staff, provide technology and distribute educational material to those who are studying screwworm. He estimates it will cost 鈥渕illions of dollars.鈥�
Lawmakers have called on the USDA to expedite completion of a Texas sterile fly production facility to combat the outbreak. The factory would help breed sterile male flies that would then be released into the wild to breed. Since female screwworms only mate once, outbreaks would eventually be halted as the flies die out if they breed with a sterile male.
Leger-Fern谩ndez criticized the Trump administration for prioritizing other nonessential efforts 鈥� such as the building of the UFC fighting cage for an event that took place Sunday 鈥� over accelerating the creation of the fly production facility.
鈥淲e want them to bring that same urgency to this issue here,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his administration has screwed up the issue with regard to addressing the screwworm crisis, but the good news is that we think we have good bipartisan support for addressing this issue.鈥�
New World screwworm was first detected in the state after a dog in Lea County picked up the parasite in early June. The pest is drawn to fresh wounds and will burrow itself inside before laying eggs, which dig into an animal鈥檚 flesh and can have devastating or even lethal consequences without treatment.
The case has since been deemed inactive, as the dog healed and returned home Thursday. Routine patrols continue as officials work to surveil the area, according to Dr. Samantha Holeck, state veterinarian with the New Mexico Livestock Board.
鈥淭he fly trapping has been underway since Wednesday of last week, and we have caught flies in traps,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o far, they have all been sterile flies that have proven that there is good dispersal from the aerial drops that have occurred.鈥�
Lawmakers said they have had concerns over the parasite since 2025 after screwworm was detected in southern Mexico, in Oaxaca and Veracruz. The USDA closed the border to imports to prevent the screwworm from making its way into the United States.
While the pest poses a threat to cattle and other livestock, Holeck said that screwworm is not an infectious disease and does not pose a food safety threat. Dairy and cattle industry leaders also said that there have been no economic impacts on either sector.
Nakayla McClelland covers crime and breaking news. Reach her at nmcclelland@abqjournal.com or at 505-823-3857.
