Governor Greg Abbott signed an updated statewide disaster declaration authorizing the use of all available state resources to eradicate the New World screwworm fly. According to a June 5 press release from the Governor’s Office, the emergency declaration prioritizes and reassigns state assets specifically to Zavala and Uvalde counties following confirmed parasite detections.
The updated mandate makes all state personnel available, including workers from Texas public university systems, to speed up both the aerial movement of sterile flies and the federal construction of a new sterile screwworm production facility in Edinburg.
Abbott said the state has successfully eradicated this destructive, flesh-eating agricultural pest in the past and will do so again. According to federal officials, a second screwworm case was confirmed over the weekend in a one-month-old calf in Zavala County, located roughly five miles away from the initial detection site.
Rear Admiral Michael Schmoyer, associate administrator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, said a federal strike team of 28 veterinarians and animal health experts is on-site to complement local containment operations. Schmoyer said aggressive preparation partnerships with the state delayed the parasite’s arrival across the international border for nearly a year.
Texas State Veterinarian Dr. Lewis Dinges said the infested calf has been treated, its wound is healing properly, and the surrounding herd has been safely managed. State officials urge livestock producers and the public to inspect all warm-blooded animals daily and immediately report any unusual wounds to the Texas Animal Health Commission.