The USDA Will Invest $21 Million in Sterile Fly Production to Control New World Screw Worm

Photo courtesy of USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

The USDA is investing $21 million in a new sterile insect production facility in Metapa, Mexico, to strengthen efforts against the New World Screwworm (NWS). This initiative was announced during a bilateral meeting between U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Mexico Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development Julio Berdegué Sacristán.

Both countries reaffirmed a commitment to curbing spread of the livestock pest. Although NWS was eradicated in the U.S. in the 1980s, ongoing outbreaks in Mexico and Central America continue to pose risks along the U.S. border.

USDA currently controls NWS populations using a sterile insect technique. A COPEG facility in Panama coordinated production and release operations. Up to 100 million sterile flies are dispersed to affected regions each week.

The new facility in Metapa will double this capacity, allowing for 60 to 100 million more sterile flies per week. This will extend the USDA’s reach further south.
The expansion supports a joint USDA-Mexico strategy involving surveillance, regulatory coordination, and movement controls. Technical exchanges between the nations are ongoing to strengthen the ground-level response.

The USDA is also enforcing restrictions on live animal imports from Mexico to limit NWS transmission. Measures are being reviewed monthly, and restrictions will remain in place as long as the threat persists.