It’s been decades since the New World Screwworm was a problem in the U.S., but the flies are now advancing northward from Panama. They could disrupt American agriculture if they gain a foothold here again. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently suspended imports of cattle from Mexico, after new reports showed that a destructive pest called the New World Screwworm had moved north to the Mexican states of Oaxaca and Veracruz.
The New World Screwworm – which is actually a fly – was a huge problem for U.S. livestock and wildlife until it was eradicated in the 1960s. Their screw-shaped larvae burrow into mammals’ wounds and other sensitive spots of mammals, like an umbilical cord – causing disease, infection and death.
“This is a critter that we don't want back in the U.S.,” said David Anderson, a livestock professor and extension economist with Texas A&M University. “If you have livestock, you're going to be out there all the time checking your animals for any wound. … I think it would be a pretty devastating thing if we were to get it back.”
Such great, fun news for a Friday night, huh?
Some federal judge will overrule this in 3,2,1......
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