The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has reached another key milestone in the fight against New World screwworm (NWS). The department announced the opening of a sterile fly dispersal facility in Tampico, Mexico, designed to strengthen efforts to stop the pest from spreading north.
The new site will help USDA carry out aerial sterile fly releases across northeastern Mexico, including Nuevo León. These flights will allow faster and broader coverage than ground-based methods and support joint animal health programs with Mexico.
Stronger Response Capacity
“The Tampico facility gives us a faster, more flexible way to combat screwworm and protect U.S. herds,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins. “By expanding aerial dispersal into northern Mexico, we can react more quickly to new detections and keep the eradication line moving south.”
Until now, aerial fly releases were limited to southern Mexico. In northern regions, teams relied on ground-release chambers that covered smaller areas. With the new facility, USDA can now release up to 100 million sterile flies each week, reaching more land and acting more efficiently.
Joint U.S.–Mexico Partnership
The Tampico project follows recent bilateral meetings between Secretary Rollins, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, and Agriculture Secretary Julio Berdegué. Both nations reaffirmed their shared goal of eradicating NWSthrough coordinated surveillance, livestock movement controls, and trapping.
The NWS Action Plan, managed by USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and Mexico’s National Service of Agro-Alimentary Health, Safety, and Quality (SENASICA), continues to guide these efforts.
Although southern Mexico still reports new detections, officials say no major northward spread has occurred. Two isolated cases in Nuevo León earlier this fall—both linked to cattle shipments from Chiapas—have been resolved.
Expanding Production and Infrastructure
The sterile fly program depends on mass rearing, sterilization, and aerial release to reduce wild populations.
USDA currently produces sterile flies at its COPEG facility in Panama. The department is also supporting Mexico’s renovation of its Metapa production plant, a project expected to double output by summer 2026.
In the U.S., construction continues on a new dispersal facility at Moore Air Base in Edinburg, Texas, which should open in early 2026. USDA is also fast-tracking a sterile fly production site in southern Texas, designed to reach a capacity of up to 300 million flies per week.
Safeguarding Livestock and Trade
New World screwworm is a parasitic fly that attacks warm-blooded animals, including cattle. It causes painful wounds and can lead to major production losses. The pest was eradicated from the United States in 1966 but remains active in parts of Central and South America.
By expanding aerial dispersal and coordination with Mexico, USDA aims to protect U.S. livestock, maintain export confidence, and prevent the pest from crossing north of the border.
