Who knew a flesh-eating fly could devastate the $1.5 billion Texas cattle industry, prompt popular barbecue restaurants to close and have politicians at each other’s throats trying to determine why the New World Screwworm wasn’t eliminated when it first became a threat more than a year ago?
Some people, representing both political parties, say they knew the blowfly was going to be a problem and they’re concerned that Texas, which leads the nation’s cattle industry, will suffer devastating losses if the pest isn’t swiftly eradicated.
Gina Hinojosa, a Democratic state representative from Austin, called for a public hearing to be held by the Texas House Agriculture and Livestock Committee, a panel she’s not a member of. She’s hoping to unseat longtime Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in November and fired off a letter to committee chair Ryan Guillen and Speaker of the House Dustin Burrows.
Burrows and Guillen said they’ve been meeting with federal and state officials, industry and wildlife groups and plan to hold hearings in the coming weeks. The ag committee was tasked in March with studying invasive species such as screwworm.
Abbott issued a declaration authorizing the use of “all available resources of the state government to respond to this disaster” and called a briefing at the Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory in Kerrville on Monday, appearing with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins.
Abbott’s solution is to expedite construction of a federal $750 million sterile screwworm fly-breeding facility in Edinburg; establish a task force of livestock producers, veterinarians and wildlife experts; mobilize prevention and response efforts; and activate the state Emergency Operations Center to an escalated response level. The governor encouraged ranchers and livestock owners to check animals daily, treat wounds promptly and take steps to reduce fly populations.
But some argue that Texas never should have been in this situation. In November 2024, when Mexican officials confirmed a case of screwworm, former President Joe Biden directed the USDA to close southern entry points to live cattle imports to prevent the spread of screwworm into the United States. The initiative strained supply, and the USDA reversed course in February 2025 after Donald Trump took office. The entry points were shut down again in May 2025.
Then Trump’s appointee Elon Musk slashed ongoing efforts to prevent the spread of screwworm via the Department of Government Efficiency, according to a Forbes article published Monday.
A Democratic Party precinct chair suggested the screwworm situation isn’t going to result in favorable ratings for Trump. “He DOGE’d 15,000 USDA workers and killed [the United States Agency for International Development]. I wonder what ranchers who voted for Trump are thinking now.”
It’s unknown how the screwworm infestation reached South Texas. A 12-mile quarantine zone was established to contain the parasite, and federal responders are releasing sterile flies to break the screwworms’ reproduction cycle. Outgoing state Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, a Republican, says the strategy isn’t working.
The ag commissioner, who narrowly lost the GOP primary to Nate Sheets, says he’s been pushing the USDA for over a year to deploy the Screwworm Adult Suppression System, which he says is a proven program that uses targeted bait to kill fertile adult screwworm flies before they can reproduce.
“Every day we delay gives this pest another opportunity to spread,” Miller said in a statement. “SWASS helped eradicate screwworm from the United States once before, and it can help stop this outbreak before it reaches even deeper into Texas.”
As of Tuesday, there were five reported cases in Texas: two calves in Zavala County, a calf in La Salle County, a goat in Gillespie County, and a dog in Andrews County. The USDA determined that while the dog case was reported in Texas, the dog actually lived in Lea County, New Mexico.
The screwworm is a parasitic fly that infests living warm-blooded mammals, especially cattle. The race to contain the insect, which has been on a northern migration track since at least 2023, is creating a panic because agriculture leaders fear that if not contained, it could cost the state’s cattle economy at least $1.8 billion.
The Washington Post reported last month that because of rising beef prices, high-profile restaurants have been forced to shut down, including Brett’s BBQ Shop in Katy (a Texas Monthly Top 50 honoree), Kirby’s BBQ in New Caney, and Sabar Barbecue in Fort Worth.
Texas hasn’t seen a screwworm infestation in decades. It was eradicated in the 1960s, but a resurgence of the pest was reported from 1972 to 1976, according to the Texas Tribune.
“A screwworm outbreak in the U.S. infested tens of thousands of cattle across six states, cost tens of millions of dollars to contain, and was only defeated after a massive eradication effort,” according to the report. “U.S. producers have not treated livestock for screwworm in more than 40 years, putting the future of the industry on shaky ground.”
The screwworm lays eggs in the flesh of an animal, usually in an open wound, and then wiggles or “screws” its way deeper beneath the skin. Females lay their eggs in the wound, which can be as seemingly innocuous as a small cut or scratch, and the cycle continues. If untreated, the infestation can be fatal.
USDA officials have said that screwworms do not infect meat, fruits or vegetables. Human cases are uncommon but the fly thrives in South America, Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and can enter a human through an injury such as an insect bite or surgical wound. Lesions or sores that don’t heal over time may indicate that a person or pet has been infested.
Cattle are particularly susceptible because they have difficulty protecting an open wound and their large frame can allow eggs to develop in multiple locations from a single cut.
Canada has already enacted a temporary ban on Texas cattle imports because of the recent screwworm cases.
Hinojosa says she’s getting “increasingly urgent requests from Texans for clear communication on this emergency,” particularly those who are concerned about food prices skyrocketing.
“The potential economic impact of a serious outbreak is devastating, which only increases the legislature’s responsibility to ensure our response meets the needs of Texans, keeps Texas farmers in business and keeps beef on the table for Texas families,” Hinojosa wrote in her letter to fellow lawmakers.
