Governor Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 44 Texas counties to prevent the spread of the New World screwworm fly. According to a January 29 news release from the Governor’s Office, the emergency declaration follows the nation’s first domestic case of the flesh-eating parasite in South Texas in over 60 years.
The announcement directs the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Texas Animal Health Commission to establish a joint Texas New World Screwworm Response Team and to partner with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to establish a $750 million Domestic Sterile NWS Production Facility.
The declaration also authorizes the Texas Animal Health Commission to establish quarantine zones, regulate livestock movement, and implement mandatory animal inspections.
Abbott said the state is deploying all available resources, including sterile insect technique technology, to protect the Texas cattle industry and native wildlife from the destructive pest. The targeted counties are primarily located throughout South Texas and the Texas-Mexico border region.