For Immediate Release
By: R-CALF USA Marketing Director Jaiden Moreland
Contact: R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard
Phone: 406-252-2516; r-calfusa@r-calfusa.com
R-CALF USA Applauds Further Actions to Combat New World Screwworm; Border Must Remain Closed
WASHINGTON, D.C., Aug. 15, 2025 – R-CALF USA today praised U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for announcing an $850 million federal investment to protect American ranchers from the New World screwworm (NWS). Recent reports have revealed that the threat is within 370 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border.
The investment includes construction of a U.S.–based sterile fly facility in Edinburg, Texas; research to accelerate sterile fly production, traps, therapeutics and other preparedness tools; increased hiring of mounted patrol “tick riders,” detector dogs and staff to monitor the U.S.-Mexico border; and further collaboration with Mexico to enhance surveillance, restrict animal movement and support containment south of the border.
Rollins emphasized continued collaboration with state governments, private stakeholders and federal agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency, to implement countermeasures such as medications to combat the threat.
“We applaud the Trump administration’s continued efforts to combat New World screwworm, as highlighted in today’s press conference with Governor Abbott and Secretary Rollins,” said R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard. “These new efforts are appreciated, but they take time to implement. We reaffirm that the southern border must remain closed until Mexico proves the pest has been eradicated. American ranching families must come first. This is a national security issue and cannot be ignored.”
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller also praised the announcement. “I was pleased to welcome my friend, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, back to Texas and applaud her commitment to fight the New World Screwworm threat that puts our state’s $30 billion livestock industry in jeopardy,” Miller said. “Her announcement about USDA’s plans to construct a new sterile fly production facility in South Texas is welcome news. I will continue to work side by side with Secretary Rollins to develop the tools necessary to combat this insidious threat and protect our ag industry and all who depend on it.”
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Ranchers Cattlemen Action Legal Fund United Stockgrowers of America (R-CALF USA) is the largest producer-only lobbying and trade association representing U.S. cattle and sheep producers. It is a national, nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring the continued profitability and viability of the U.S. cattle and sheep industries. Visit www.r-calfusa.com or call 406-252-2516 for more information.