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NCBA says a domestic sterile fly production facility is needed

The CEO of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association says a domestic male sterile fly production facility is needed to combat New World screwworm. Colin Woodall says the current facility, located in Panama, can’t meet the industry’s needs. “We’re going to have to have at least double that production, if not more,” he says. 

He says he’s hopeful the move to suspend imports of live cattle from Mexico by Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins this week gets the attention of Congress. “And they spend more time trying to identify the funds that are needed to build a facility here in the United States,” he says.  “We also know that Secretary Rollin is working very hard to find the funds that she can utilize to put a facility in place.”

Woodall says getting domestic production started will take time. “The question is, will the federal government be able to use emergency powers to prevent a lot of the permitting?” he says.  “That typically steps up and prevents projects from moving forward.”

He says if New World screwworm isn’t contained soon, “Anything that hurts the cattle industry is a detriment to our food supply, our food security. We know that food security is national security.”

Woodall is optimistic that the government will expedite the permitting process to get a domestic facility online sooner rather than later.

AUDIO: Colin Woodall, CEO, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association