By Jessica Domel
Multimedia Reporter

To help combat cattle fever tick infestations in Texas and protect the rest of the nation, U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-TX) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) reintroduced the Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program Enhancement Act in Congress.

The bill, if passed, would direct U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins of Texas to enter into a contract with a land-grant college or university, or a non-land-grant college of agriculture, to study the effectiveness of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program.

“With cattle fever tick infestations on the rise, it is critical that we are taking steps to curb the spread of the disease,” De La Cruz said. “I am committed to working with the USDA to monitor the efficacy of the Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program and make any improvements necessary to ensure Texas ranchers and producers have the resources to protect the health of their cattle and the viability of their herds.”

The legislation would also require a report on suggestions to improve the program.

“Cattle fever tick infestations can cause devastating losses for ranchers across Texas and the nation,” Cornyn said. “This legislation would kickstart improvements to the Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program and help mitigate losses caused by these parasites, and I urge my colleagues to support it.”

De La Cruz, one of two Texas serving on the House Agriculture Committee, said passage of the act is one of her priorities this Congress.

“Cattle fever tick is not something that the United States understands, but it is very important to our Texas ranchers and producers. We need to protect the health of their cattle and their herds. Ultimately, if their cattle get sick, then it’s lost revenue for our farmers, but it also means higher prices at the grocery store,” De La Cruz said. “That is an initiative that we’re working on and want to get passed into law.”

The House version of the bill is co-sponsored by Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) and Rep. Jake Ellzey (R-TX). The Senate version is co-sponsored by Rep. Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM).

“It’ll give Texas farmers and ranchers the resources that they need to protect their cattle,” De La Cruz said.

The legislation is endorsed by the Texas Farm Bureau and the Texas Cattle Feeders Association.

Cattle fever ticks are a significant threat to the United States cattle industry, according to the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC). The ticks can carry the protozoa babesia bovis or B. bigemina, more commonly known as cattle fever.

The organism attacks and destroys red blood cells in affected animals, causing acute anemia, high fever and enlargement of the spleen and liver, which ultimately results in death for up to 90% of naïve cattle.

Cattle fever ticks have been eradicated across much of the U.S. since the 1940s. The exception is a zone on the Texas-Mexico border where a permanent quarantine has been implemented to intercept infected animals crossing the border from Mexico.

USDA and TAHC work with government and industry partners, as well as ranchers and hunters, in the Rio Grande Valley to treat infected animals and prevent further spread of the costly disease.