Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller today issued the following statement after being notified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) of a new detection of the New World screwworm (NWS) in Montemorelos, Nuevo León, Mexico, approximately 120 miles south of the Texas border. USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed the case in a 22-month-old bovine transported from Veracruz to a feedlot in Nuevo León.
“The New World screwworm is one of the most devastating livestock pests ever encountered in North America,” Commissioner Miller said. “We have beaten it before with resolve and science, and we’ll do it again, but Texas must stay vigilant.”
This detection marks the northernmost active case currently found in Mexico. It is also the second detection at the same Nuevo León feedlot since October. No additional cases were linked to the October detection, and both events appear tied to livestock movements from southern Mexico.
Commissioner Miller emphasized that Texas remains free from detection, but that state officials and agriculture leaders cannot be complacent.
“Texas ranchers are the backbone of American agriculture. Our cattle herds help feed the nation and the world are just too important to risk,” Miller said. “We will keep working shoulder to shoulder with USDA, Mexican animal health authorities, and our own state agency partners to defend our border and Texans from this dangerous threat. We will protect our livestock, safeguard our economy, and do everything possible to keep the New World screwworm at bay.”
Commissioner Miller also encourages Texas producers to remain watchful for suspicious wounds, unhealed tissue, or maggot activity in livestock, wildlife, and pets, particularly in locations near the border. Producers who suspect NWS should immediately contact their local veterinarian and state authorities. Early detection, strict livestock movement controls, screwworm fly suppression, and rapid response are the best tools to combat this serious threat.
