Full Breakdown
US-Mexico Inaugurate Sterile Fly Facility in Chiapas to Tackle Screwworm Outbreak
6/28/2026, 11:02:20 AM
Inauguration & Purpose
On 27 June 2026 senior Mexican and U.S. officials opened a $51 million sterile-fly plant in Metapa de Domínguez, Chiapas. Funded with $30 million from Mexico and $21 million from the United States, the facility will produce up to 100 million sterile male flies weekly to suppress the New World screwworm that has spread into Texas and New Mexico.
Background & Timeline
The screwworm, eradicated in the 1950s, re-emerged in Mexico in November 2024, infecting over 30,000 animals. The United States closed its border to live Mexican cattle in May 2025, halting a trade flow of more than one million head. The first U.S. case was confirmed on 3 June 2026; the Chiapas plant opened 27 June 2026, and a U.S. facility in Texas began construction in April 2026, slated for late 2027.
Key Data
Planned output is 100 million sterile flies per week, matching Panama’s current supply for releases along the Texas border. The outbreak has caused estimated 2025 losses of MX$15 billion (US$800 million) and prompted US emergency funding of US$165 million in 2024. The United States has earmarked US$750 million for the Texas plant.
Impact & Why It Matters
The pest threatens livestock health, food security, and cross-border trade. Border closures have tightened U.S. cattle inventories and pushed Mexican producers toward domestic processing, reshaping regional supply chains. Sterile-fly releases aim to reduce chemical controls and avoid multimillion-dollar losses.
Official Statements
President Claudia Sheinbaum said animal-health challenges “are not limited by borders.” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins called the plant an “extraordinary bilateral effort” to defeat the pest. Ambassador Ronald Johnson framed the initiative as a national-security issue linking livestock health to economic stability and quality of life.
Challenges & Gaps
COPEG experts warned the plant’s output will still fall short of the volume needed for eradication, echoing earlier concerns about surveillance gaps as the pest moved north. Reports differ on U.S. financial input: one source cites a $21 million share, another mentions an additional $83.8 million announced by the Trump administration.
What’s Next
The Chiapas plant will begin experimental releases while technical teams monitor results. The Texas facility is expected to be operational by late 2027. Expanded veterinary training and rapid-response networks continue across Mexico to support broader eradication.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Our countries have beaten this before, 40, 50 years ago. We will beat the New World screwworm again sooner than anyone would have thought because of the extraordinary work that is going to happen at this facility,” — Brooke Rollins, U.S. Agriculture Secretary
- “Animal diseases, pests and the challenges of food safety aren't limited by borders,” — Claudia Sheinbaum, President of Mexico
- “this is proof that, in the face of common challenges, collaboration for development is better than confrontation.” — Claudia Sheinbaum, President of Mexico
- “I never thought we would be talking about flies and larvae,” — Ronald Johnson, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico
