Congressman Tony Gonzales (R-TX) on Sept. 30 hosted a New World Screwworm (NWS) Working Group to collaborate across multiple sectors and levels of government on containing the parasitic fly, which threatens the nation’s food supply chain.
“Launching the New World Screwworm Working Group is a meaningful step forward in bringing expert leaders together to implement effective solutions, and Texans getting things done — from ranchers to private industry to lawmakers at all levels of government,” Rep. Gonzales said.
The NWS Working Group consists of federal and state lawmakers; various agricultural, livestock, and wild game associations; scientists; veterinarian experts; and Texas farmers and ranchers.
The roundtable discussion focused on preventing the spread of NWS, which poses serious and potentially deadly consequences for cattle, livestock, wildlife, domestic pets, and, in some cases, humans, according to a statement issued by Rep. Gonzales’ staff.
“Containing the screwworm is a national emergency that must be addressed with the highest sense of urgency. Everything from food supply to our national security is at risk, and with a new infestation detected just 70 miles away from the Texas-Mexico border…, the stakes are higher than ever,” said the congressman. “We truly need an all-hands-on-deck response to keep this deadly parasite away from the United States.”
Also last month, Rep. Gonzales requested more information from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on actions taken to authorize treatments and issue guidance for animal drugs to treat or prevent an NWS outbreak, and urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to consider economic aid and other appropriate options for the beef, livestock, and wild game industries.
The congressman is also sponsoring the bipartisan, bicameral Strengthening Tactics to Obstruct the Population of Screwworms (STOP Screwworms) Act, H.R. 3392, which he introduced May 14 to authorize funds for and direct the USDA to begin construction on a new sterile fly production facility in the United States to combat the growing NWS outbreak.
The bill has been endorsed by numerous organizations, including the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the Livestock Marketing Association, the Texas Farm Bureau, and the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, among others.