The USDA is closer to opening a sterile fly facility in Edinburg, Texas, signing a contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), which will be crucial in fighting the spread of the New World Screwworm (NWS).
Located on the Moore Air Base, the site of the proposed sterile fly facility will break ground this spring and is expected to produce 100 million flies per week once completed in November 2027.
This facility will mark the first facility in the U.S., with the USDA working with the Mexican government on the renovation of a fruit fly facility in Metapa in the Southern Mexican state of Chiapas, which is expected to be operational this summer.
Female NWS fliers lay eggs in cattle and humans, which can cause fatal infections. Male NWS flies are sterilized with irradiation, which produces unfertilised eggs during mating.
Eradicated decades ago in the U.S., NWS have spread across Central America and Mexico and have been inching closer to the border, raising concerns of a resurgence.
Mexico has 989 active cases of NWS, with nearly 400 cases taking place in the Southern states of Chiapas, Guerrero, and Oaxaca according to USDA data through Mar. 4, 2026. However, 19 cases of NWS were recorded in Tamaulipas, the Mexican state that borders Texas.
“We are proud to be partnering with USDA in the construction of the sterile fly facility, a critical investment in our nation’s future agricultural, public, and economic health. Combining our engineering expertise with USDA’s mission expertise brings us one step closer to alleviating this biological threat,” Lieutenant General William H. Graham, commanding general of USACE, shared in a statement.
The Moore Air Base facility is part of the USDA’s five-pronged approach to address NWS, which was revealed last fall. The U.S. has also closed its southern ports to livestock trading to contain the pest.
The President of the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, Carl Ray Polk Jr., commended the USDA and USACE for their efforts to address NWS. The Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association has been educating its members on how to spot and detect NWS.
“Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association applauds the swift action taken by Secretary Brooke Rollins and her team in coordination with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Today’s announcement in awarding the contract for a sterile fly production facility in South Texas marks an important step as we prepare for a potential domestic incursion of New World screwworm. It is clear the administration is committed to pushing this pest back to the Darién Gap, a priority Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association continues to emphasize as we work to educate producers on the ground,” Polk Jr. said in a statement.
