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NCBA: NWS in the U.S. is inevitable

The CEO of the National Cattleman’s Beef Association says it’s only a matter of time before New World Screwworm is confirmed in the United States.

“It’s 25 miles away right now. I think it’s really hard to say that it’s never going to make it across.”

Colin Woodall told a crowd of beef producers in Illinois Tuesday it’s inevitable that the parasitic fly crosses the Mexican border, however…

“We have the products to be able to treat the larva.”  He says, “We have the products to heal our cattle. We’ve had 18 months to prepare for this because we knew it was coming. So, we’re ready for this.”

He tells Brownfield…

“We do not see this as a red alert animal health issue.”  He says, “It is a significant animal health issue, but we don’t need people to panic because we don’t have to panic. We’re prepared for this.”

Woodall says it’s not a food safety issue and credits the work of the USDA and state agencies in monitoring New World Screwworm’s movement north, but he says livestock producers, especially in the south, need to educate themselves about the pest.

Brownfield spoke with Woodall at the 2026 annual meeting of the Illinois Beef Association in Springfield.

AUDIO: Colin Woodall – NCBA