Key Takeaways
- USDA has opened a new sterile fly dispersal facility in Tampico, Mexico to support the fight against New World screwworm (NWS).
- The facility enables aerial dispersal across northeastern Mexico, improving response speed and coverage, including in Nuevo León.
- USDA currently releases 100 million sterile flies per week, with aerial operations now expanding beyond southern Mexico.
- The initiative is part of a broader five-pronged plan to prevent NWS from reaching the United States and protect livestock.
- Additional U.S. and Mexican facilities are under development to increase production capacity and reinforce long-term control efforts.
USDA Opens New Facility to Advance NWS Sterile Fly Dispersal Efforts
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has opened a new sterile fly dispersal facility in Tampico, Mexico, marking a significant step in the ongoing effort to control New World screwworm (NWS). The facility will support aerial distribution of sterile flies across northeastern Mexico, including areas such as Nuevo León, where isolated cases were detected earlier this year.
“The opening of the Tampico sterile fly dispersal facility is another incredibly important tool in our arsenal to stop the spread of screwworm,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins. She noted that the new site will increase operational flexibility and strengthen the ability to prevent northward movement of the pest. Rollins also referenced recent discussions with Mexican officials on coordinating the binational response.
Expanded Aerial Dispersal Capacity Across Northern Mexico
Sterile insect releases are deployed through two primary methods: aerial dispersal and ground release chambers. Until now, USDA’s aerial operations were limited to southern Mexico, requiring greater reliance on ground chambers in the northern regions.
With the Tampico facility online, USDA can now extend aerial dispersal to the northeast, improving coverage consistency and rapid-response capabilities. USDA continues to release about 100 million sterile flies weekly, with aerial operations now replacing ground releases in Nuevo León.
Current Status of NWS Cases and Regional Controls
Although Mexico continues to report NWS cases, most remain concentrated in the far south. Recent detections in Nuevo León — approximately 70 and 170 miles from the U.S. border — involved cattle transported from Chiapas. Both cases are now inactive, with no further detections in traps or livestock.
Should any new cases emerge, the Tampico facility will enable immediate aerial deployment in affected areas.
Increasing Production Capacity in Mexico and the United States
USDA currently produces sterile flies at the COPEG facility in Panama and is investing $21 million to support renovations to a production site in Metapa, Mexico. Once complete, the upgraded facility is expected to double sterile fly output, with production projected to begin by summer 2026.
Domestically, USDA has begun construction of a sterile fly dispersal facility at Moore Air Base in Edinburg, Texas, set to open in early 2026. The agency is also accelerating plans for a sterile fly production facility in southern Texas, targeting a capacity of up to 300 million sterile flies per week.
USDA & SENASICA's Binational Efforts Continue Through the NWS Action Plan
USDA and Mexico’s agriculture authority, SENASICA, continue to collaborate under the joint NWS Action Plan, supporting coordinated trapping, surveillance, and livestock movement protocols. These efforts aim to prevent NWS from moving northward and protect livestock industries in both countries.
8 Comments