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Source: https://www.reuters.com/business/he...thin-31-miles-us-border-says-usda-2026-05-29/
Flesh-eating screwworm found within 31 miles of US border, says USDA
By Heather Schlitz
May 29, 20267:09 PM EDTUpdated 20 hours ago
CHICAGO, May 29 (Reuters) - A devastating parasitic fly that eats warm-blooded animals alive and could cause millions of dollars in economic damage to the U.S. economy has been found in a young sheep in Mexico within 31 miles (50 km) of the U.S. border, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported on Friday.
The detection heightens the risk for America's beef industry and cattle producers, who have feared for more than a year that the pest would cross into the U.S. and infect livestock after spreading northward in Mexico.
This latest detection of the fly, New World Screwworm, was in a six-month-old sheep in Mexico's Coahuila state, according to USDA data. It was the closest the parasite has come to the U.S. during the most recent outbreak, despite a sprawling effort by USDA and Mexico to contain the pest.
Experts cautioned that if the fly enters the U.S., it could further spike record beef prices by keeping more calves out of the U.S. cattle supply. An outbreak in the U.S. could cause $1.8 billion in damage to Texas' economy alone, according to a USDA estimate. Texas is the biggest U.S. cattle-producing state....
Flesh-eating screwworm found within 31 miles of US border, says USDA
By Heather Schlitz
May 29, 20267:09 PM EDTUpdated 20 hours ago
CHICAGO, May 29 (Reuters) - A devastating parasitic fly that eats warm-blooded animals alive and could cause millions of dollars in economic damage to the U.S. economy has been found in a young sheep in Mexico within 31 miles (50 km) of the U.S. border, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported on Friday.
The detection heightens the risk for America's beef industry and cattle producers, who have feared for more than a year that the pest would cross into the U.S. and infect livestock after spreading northward in Mexico.
This latest detection of the fly, New World Screwworm, was in a six-month-old sheep in Mexico's Coahuila state, according to USDA data. It was the closest the parasite has come to the U.S. during the most recent outbreak, despite a sprawling effort by USDA and Mexico to contain the pest.
Experts cautioned that if the fly enters the U.S., it could further spike record beef prices by keeping more calves out of the U.S. cattle supply. An outbreak in the U.S. could cause $1.8 billion in damage to Texas' economy alone, according to a USDA estimate. Texas is the biggest U.S. cattle-producing state....
