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USDA is investing $105 million in 40 projects intended to combat the spread of New World screwworm. Those projects will receive funding through its “New World Screwworm Grand Challenge.”
The initiative, overseen by the agency’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, offered financial support for projects aimed at fighting the spread of New World screwworm.
USDA reviewed 226 applications requesting a combined $664 million in funding. In a June 16 press release, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said USDA launched the challenge in January expecting “bold, innovative and science-backed” ideas to combat NWS. According to her, the projects awarded funding “delivered just that.”
“These projects represent the creativity, scientific rigor and determination we need to reinforce our existing efforts, empower our producers, and safeguard American agriculture and our food supply,” Rollins said. “We have beaten this pest before, and by leveraging innovative solutions and advancements in technology we will beat it again in record time.”
According to USDA officials, work has already begun on two of the newly funded projects:
- Texas AgriLife Research is studying a nonradioactive alternative for creating sterile flies.
- The University of Florida is working on X-ray irradiators for sterilizing NWS pupae, using secondary screwworm as a surrogate.
Latest count
According to the most recent USDA data, 12 NWS cases have been confirmed in the U.S. since June 3. The most recent detection, confirmed June 12 in a sheep in Sutton County, Texas, is now classified as “inactive.” The other 11 cases remain active as of June 17, according to USDA’s website.
Livestock imports from Mexico remain prohibited in an effort to slow the spread of NWS. That ban has been in effect since July 2025. Mexico, in turn, temporarily banned live animal imports from the U.S. on June 9.
As of June 16, Mexico’s National Service for Agrifood Health, Safety and Quality, or SENASICA, has reported 1,921 active cases of NWS. According to June 16 data from USDA, 50 of those cases are less than 100 miles from the U.S. border.
Additional livestock restrictions
On June 9, Canada banned the import of livestock that resided in or traveled through Texas within the past 21 days. At least 12 U.S. states have also enacted additional measures to prevent screwworm from entering.
States ordering inspections and restricting animals’ movement include the following:
- Texas. Officials established quarantine zones across 13 infested counties. All warm-blooded animals must undergo inspection and obtain a Texas Animal Health Commission movement permit before they can be transported out of these areas.
- New Mexico. The state declared a 12.5-mile infested zone surrounding the state’s lone NWS detection. Animals are not permitted to leave the zone without proper inspection.
- Louisiana. An emergency order prohibits animals that have passed through another state’s infested zone.
- Pennsylvania. Ag Secretary Russell Redding signed a quarantine order imposing movement and import restrictions on warm-blooded animals being transported to and through the state. All susceptible animals must be examined and determined free of New World screwworm by an accredited veterinarian before entering the state.
- New York. The State Department of Agriculture and Markets has implemented new import requirements for all domestic animals coming into the state. This order restricts movement of livestock and pets from impacted areas or suspected impacted areas to protect animal health and the agricultural industry in New York.
Other states ordering additional movement restrictions and inspection scrutiny include Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and West Virginia.
Farm Progress editor Chris Torres contributed to this report.