Governor Abbott, Secretary Rollins Announce $750 Million For New World Screwworm Protection Facility

TEXAS, August 15 - August 15, 2025 | Austin, Texas | Press Release

Governor Greg Abbott and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $750 million in a new Domestic Sterile Screwworm Production Facility to combat the northward spread of the New World screwworm (NWS) and protect American livestock producers. 

"Texas agricultural producers feed the world, with our state's food and agriculture sector supporting over 2 million good-paying jobs and creating over $867 billion in total economic impact," said Governor Abbott. "All of this is at risk because of the New World screwworm. Working with Secretary Rollins and agricultural community leaders nationwide, we will combat the New World screwworm threat right here in Texas by building a new $750 million facility to breed hundreds of millions of sterile screwworm flies. Together, we will eradicate New World screwworm threat to protect our nation's food supply and economy.”

“We have assessed the information on the ground in Mexico and have determined we must construct an additional sterile fly production facility in the U.S. to stop the northward advancement of this terrible pest that is threatening American cattle production," said Secretary Rollins. "President Trump has made it clear that we must take all necessary steps to protect our country from foreign pests and diseases that threaten our economy and way of life. Today we are announcing a major investment to further America’s existential role in protecting our country and secure our borders from this national security threat. The construction of a domestic sterile fly production facility will ensure the United States continues to lead the way in combating this devastating pest. If our ranchers are overrun by foreign pests, then we cannot feed ourselves. USDA and Customs and Border Protection are constantly monitoring our ports of entry to keep NWS away from our borders. We are working every day to ensure our American agricultural industry is safe, secure, and resilient.” 

Watch the Governor and the Secretary's press conference here. 

The new $750 million facility is set to be built in Edinburg, Texas, to sterilize New World screwworm flies and prevent their reproduction. The United States currently has no domestic sterile screwworm production and relies on flies from Panama for all operational outbreak needs. This facility will have the capacity to produce 300 million sterile screwworm flies per week, tripling the current capacity to combat the New World screwworm threat.

Governor Abbott and Secretary Rollins were joined at the press conference by Congressman Tony Gonzales, Texas Commissioner of Agriculture Sid Miller, Senator Charles Perry, Representative Brad Buckley, Representative Briscoe Cain, Representative Ryan Guillen, Representative Stan Kitzman, Representative Helen Kerwin, Representative Brent Money, Texas A&M University Chancellor Glenn Hegar, and other local, state, and national agricultural leaders. 

In June, Governor Abbott directed the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department  and the Texas Animal Health Commission to establish a joint Texas New World Screwworm Response Team following the recent northward spread of the New World screwworm (NWS).