Screwworms Take a Bite Out of Texas’ Beef Industry

Chapters

1. 0:00

   The Threat of Screwworms

   Screwworms are blowflies endemic to tropical zones that follow people and animals north, causing painful infestations in livestock by laying eggs in wounds where maggots burrow into flesh. Infestations spread quickly through herds, potentially killing animals in two to three weeks if untreated with external sprays or internal invermectin. Finding a single case means the blowfly is already in the environment, requiring treatment of every animal in the area to prevent explosive growth. Texas has already spent over half a billion dollars attempting preventative work but failed to stop local spread across South Texas.

2. 2:06

   Disruption of North American Beef Trade

   While Texas beef consumption suffers locally, exports remain unaffected as most originate from Nebraska or Oklahoma. However, cattle imports from Canada and Mexico have ceased due to border closures, disrupting feedlots that relied on these transfers. Ground beef in Texas now costs over eight dollars a pound due to treatment expenses and reduced supply. Rebuilding the herd will take until the end of the decade because it requires thirty-six months to raise an adult cow.

3. 4:31

   Loss of Agricultural Expertise

   The USDA cut seasonal labs and expertise on dormant diseases when funding was reduced, leaving no skilled personnel to handle current infestations. Most experts who dealt with this at volume are now in their eighties. The United States now has only two facilities to produce sterile male screwworms, one in Panama and a new one in South Texas. Current production capacity is far below the billion per week needed to drive the infestation back.

4. 6:57

   Human Safety and Future Outlook

   Humans are not directly threatened because maggot infestations are noticeable and treatable with standard medical care rather than invermectin. The situation represents a long-term economic burden on the system for months and years to come.