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The US has a new center in Texas to disperse sterile screwworm flies to block a parasite it spawns
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U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, center, watches as fly pupae are dyed and separated following a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the grand opening of a Domestic New World Screwworm Sterile Fly Production Facility to combat the northward spread of NWS and protect American livestock, in Edinburg, Texas, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. - photo by AP Photo/Eric Gay
EDINBURG, Texas (AP) — The first center for dispersing sterile screwworm flies from U.S. soil in decades opened Monday in Texas, part of a larger effort to keep the flesh-eating parasite they spawn from crossing the Mexican border and wreaking havoc on the American cattle industry. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott unveiled the new facility on a former Air Force base near Edinburg, Texas.