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Screwworm Near Texas Spurs $750M Fight, $2B Loss Threat

6/3/2026

50 8 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the parasite was 25 miles from the Texas border, not one mile.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed a screwworm infestation in a goat in Coahuila, Mexico, 25 miles from the border and has deployed 8,000 traps and a $750 million sterile-fly release program.
Officials estimate a screwworm incursion could cost Texas up to $2 billion in cattle losses and raise beef prices.

History

Historical Context

In the 1950s the USDA began a sterile-insect campaign, releasing over 94 billion sterile screwworm flies from 1962-1975 and declaring the parasite extinct in United States by 1966. After re-emergence in southern Mexico in 2024, a new outbreak was confirmed in Coahuila in May 2026, just 31 miles from Texas border. The episode revives binational surveillance model that once protected U.S. cattle from billions of losses.

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Story summary

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the parasite was 25 miles from the Texas border, not one mile.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed a screwworm infestation in a goat in Coahuila, Mexico, 25 miles from the border and has deployed 8,000 traps and a $750 million sterile-fly release program.
Officials estimate a screwworm incursion could cost Texas up to $2 billion in cattle losses and raise beef prices.

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