A spokesperson for Texas Governor Greg Abbott said Canada was overreacting to the temporary restrictions. Mr Abbott previously declared a state of disaster against the parasite.
Flesh-eating screwworms have returned to the United States.
Experts have discovered New World screwfly larvae in a calf in South Texas, the first confirmed case in the United States in decades.
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Canada has placed a temporary ban on livestock in Texas due to the continuing spread of the New World screwworm, officials announced June 5.
U.S. officials recently confirmed that it has been decades since the meat-eating parasite was eradicated from the country. This parasitic disease, spread through screwworm flies, poses a serious risk to Texas’ $15.5 billion livestock industry.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced it is temporarily suspending imports of livestock, including horses, from Texas. The restriction applies to animals originating from or present in Texas within 21 days before attempting to enter Canada, according to a June 5 agency news release. The New World screwworm fly is currently not in Canada.
“We will continue to work closely with our U.S. authorities to assess developments and adjust our response as necessary,” the Canadian government agency said in a statement.
Where was the New World screwworm detected?
On June 3, the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed the presence of screwworm larvae in the navel of a 3-week-old calf in southern Texas, the first case in the country after the infection spread from Mexico. On June 5, USDA confirmed a second case in a 1-month-old calf 9.0 miles away.
The New World screwworm fly is about the size of a housefly and lays eggs in open wounds and body openings such as the eyes, nose, and mouth of warm-blooded animals. Once hatched, the larvae burrow into the animal’s flesh, feeding on living tissue and creating painful, foul-smelling wounds.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, secondary infections and other illnesses can cause serious and often fatal harm. As the screwworm grows, it burrows into the soil and emerges as a mature fly to begin the process again.
Canada has already banned most livestock imports from Mexico to prevent the spread of screwworm into the country. In July, U.S. authorities closed the southern ports of entry with Mexico to livestock trade.
The United States is Canada’s largest importer of agricultural products, supplying more than $3 billion in live animals and other animal products in 2024, according to USDA data. Texas is the largest producer of beef and cattle in the United States, but the data does not specify how much Texas supplies to Canada.
‘Overreaction’ by Canada, Texas says. Governor declares state of disaster
On June 5, Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared a state of disaster, citing an “imminent threat” from screwworms.
Mr. Abbott’s spokesman, Andrew Mahallis, said Canada was overreacting as the state of Texas and the Department of Agriculture worked quickly to contain and eradicate the wartworm in a limited area of south Texas.
“This pest affects live animals and does not affect Texas beef that has been tested,” Mahalelis said in a statement to USA TODAY on June 6. “Canada’s widespread restrictions on livestock in Texas are more of a political overreaction than based on science.”
Many states in the southern United States are at risk of infestation due to warm, humid temperatures that favor the screwworm, but Canadian officials said the parasite cannot survive in Canada’s cold climate. However, the length of time that screwworm flies can survive in the Canadian summer is shortened.
Screw maggots are endemic to South America and the Caribbean.
The United States eradicated the New World screwworm in 1966, and North America eradicated the New World screwworm by the 2000s. However, the fly’s habitat is thought to be expanding due to rising temperatures and changes in weather due to climate change.
U.S. authorities are working to expand the use of sterile male screw flies to stem the spread of the parasite. Authorities are using radiation to sterilize male flies and releasing them into areas where screwworms live. Female screwworm flies usually mate only once, after which they lay infertile eggs and gradually reduce their population.
Responsibility for response
The Trump administration is facing growing criticism over Elon Musk’s Office of Efficiency’s cuts to a U.S. Agency for International Development program that monitors and prevents the spread of the New World screwworm in Central America, according to an agricultural trade publication. Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller told NBC that the USDA is moving too slowly and relying only on partial solutions that will take years.
In response to emailed questions, the Department of Agriculture denied that budget cuts caused the infestation of screw maggots into the country. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins accused the Biden administration, which left office about a year and a half ago, of allowing the parasite to spread through past immigration and border policies.
Instead, the Department of Agriculture is investing in the production and release of sterile flies, she said.
Contributor: Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY
Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Contact him via email: emcuevas1@usatoday.com Or with Signal on emcuevas.01.
