By Julie Tomascik
Editor

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) opened a new sterile fly dispersal facility in Tampico, Mexico.

The facility will allow USDA to conduct aerial releases of sterile flies across northeastern Mexico, including in Nuevo León, where several New World screwworm cases have been detected.

“The opening of the Tampico sterile fly dispersal facility is another incredibly important tool in our arsenal to stop the spread of screwworm,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said. “The facility will ensure flexibility and responsiveness in northern Mexico, giving us a greater ability to drop sterile flies and continue to push the pest south.”

Until now, USDA and Mexican officials have relied heavily on ground releases to slow the spread of New World screwworm. The new facility will significantly expand the reach of aerial dispersal, covering larger areas and regions inaccessible by ground transportation.

The Tampico facility is about 230 miles from the most recent detection in Nuevo León.

“The facility will ensure flexibility and responsiveness in northern Mexico, giving us a greater ability to drop sterile flies and continue to push the pest south,” Rollins said.

The administration is also working on a dispersal facility at Moore Air Base in the Rio Grande Valley that is set for completion in early 2026, according to USDA.

The announcement follows Rollins’ recent trade mission to Mexico, during which she and USDA Undersecretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Dudley Hoskins traveled to Chiapas and met with Mexican officials on containment efforts. Rollins also met with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to discuss the joint response.

“We are boosting our efforts and completing a join review of our screwworm operations in Mexico to ensure our protocols are being followed,” Rollins said. “As we enter the winter months, we continue to prioritize the response in Mexico and the rest of our five-pronged plan to protect U.S. livestock and the livelihoods of American farmers and ranchers.”

Mass production and targeted dispersal of sterile flies remain critical components of the response, USDA said in the statement.

Sterlie flies are currently produced at the COPEG facility in Panama. USDA is also investing $21 million to support Mexico’s renovation of an existing fruit fly facility in Metapa, which is expected to double sterile fly production capacity by summer 2026.

“This expansion strengthens the frontline defense against a pest that would devastate Texas livestock and wildlife industries,” Tracy Tomascik, Texas Farm Bureau associate director of Commodity and Regulatory Activities, said. “We appreciate USDA’s continued investment and coordination with Mexico, and we remain committed to ensuring every possible measure is taken to protect our herds, our economy and the families who depend on agriculture.”

The U.S. border remains closed to live cattle imports from Mexico.

To learn more about New World screwworm, visit screwwormtx.org.