ALPINE — On Tuesday, Brewster County Commissioners approved a resolution asking the federal government to assist in stopping the New World screwworm fly (Cochliomyia hominivorax) whose larvae eat the flesh of livestock and wildlife.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins enacted a ban on Mexican cattle imports on May 11, and it is still in place as U.S. and Mexican officials continue to discuss how to stop the spread of the fly, which originated in Southern Mexico. The resolution notes that the flies’ arrival in Texas is expected in July.
The resolution “calls upon the President of the United States and all state and federal officials to:
- Authorize the immediate production and distribution of millions of doses of Ivermectin dry premix for use by livestock feed manufacturers.
- Mobilize and convert existing military or federal facilities to breed sterile New World screwworm flies, ensuring operational readiness within two weeks.
- That this Court further urges the FDA and USDA to expedite emergency approval for feed manufacturers to access and utilize Ivermectin dry premix in livestock and wildlife feeds across the affected regions.”