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Texas Ag Commissioner says northern spread of New World screwworm in Mexico leaves Texas livestock industry vulnerable

The commissioner of the Texas Department of Agriculture says the continued northern movement of New World screwworm leaves cattle producers vulnerable.  Sid Miller says the latest case was found in a canine, located in Neuvo Leon, Mexico, about 60 miles from the Texas border. “We quarantine and do not let livestock come in the United States,” he says. “But you can bring your pet right across without any kind of veterinary inspection.” 

He tells Brownfield current efforts are not getting ahead of the problem. “It’s getting worse and worse and worse,” he says. “We started releasing sterile flies to combat this in January of 2025. We’ve released 100 million per week. So that’s been 72 weeks. We’ve released 7,200 million flies and we’re not gaining any ground.” 

New World screwworm has not been detected in the United States and southern ports remain closed to live cattle imports from Mexico.   

Miller says the pest would be costly to producers and the economy. “We’ve got a $30 billion livestock industry, but we also have a huge wildlife industry,” he says. “Keep in mind that this fly is not particular about what it infects. It’s not just cattle. It’s sheep, goats, dogs, cats, you name it.” 

He says he’s not opposed to a strategic reopening of southern ports.  “We have about 2 million head of cattle backed up that need to come in,” he says. “But instead of opening up and letting 2 million head in, let’s try 15,000 first to see if we can get it right.” 

Miller says there have been no cases of NWS detected in Sonora, Mexico and he’d like to see live cattle that originate from Sonora allowed into the US on a provisionary basis. Miller says he’d also like to see imports limited to rodeo stock; cattle used for roping, which would limit the imports to around 15,000 head annually.  Miller says he’d be open to resuming horse imports from Mexico, because only about 80 animals are imported per week.  

AUDIO: Texas Ag Commissioner, Sid Miller