USDA, Texas Open Sterile Fly Facility to Fight Screwworm

New facility in Edinburg will help disperse sterile flies along the border to prevent spread of dangerous pest

Published on Feb. 10, 2026

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Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Texas Governor Greg Abbott celebrated the completion of a new USDA sterile fly dispersal facility in Edinburg, Texas. The facility will expand the government's ability to release sterile flies along the border to combat the threat of the new world screwworm, a dangerous agricultural pest.

Why it matters

The new sterile fly facility is a key part of the federal government's efforts to stop the spread of the new world screwworm, which could pose a major threat to livestock and wildlife if it reaches the United States. The facility will bolster the USDA's domestic preparedness and allow for a coordinated response with Texas to protect the state's important cattle industry.

The details

The new sterile fly dispersal facility is located at the Moore Airfield Base in Edinburg, Texas. It will allow the USDA to ramp up its ability to release sterile flies along the border with Mexico, a key strategy to prevent the new world screwworm from entering the U.S. The facility was a high priority project completed in record time by the Trump administration.

  • The facility was completed and opened on Monday, February 10, 2026.

The players

Brooke Rollins

The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture under the Trump administration.

Greg Abbott

The Governor of Texas.

Stephen Diebel

The first vice president of the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association.

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What they’re saying

“The Trump administration continues to bring the full force of the federal government to fight new world screwworm. This sterile fly dispersal facility was a high priority project, and our team delivered it in record time. This new facility is a monumental achievement for our domestic preparedness efforts, but we are also diligently working to stop the spread of screwworm in Mexico, conduct extensive trapping and surveillance along the border, increase U.S. response capacity, and encourage innovative solutions.”

— Brooke Rollins, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture (USDA News Release)

“America is going to take care of ourselves, including dealing with the approach of screwworm as it gets closer to our border. We put together the resources necessary for Texas to provide a Texas-size response to this. We thank Secretary Rollins and President Trump for stepping forward to provide the stop gap effort essential to protecting our ranchers and our wildlife.”

— Greg Abbott, Governor of Texas (USDA News Release)

“The value of equipping the U.S. to combat the threat of new world screwworm cannot be overstated. As Texans and cattle producers, we celebrate the opening of the sterile fly dispersal facility at Moore Airfield Base, strengthening our nation's ability to protect our cattle herd health, food security and economy which would suffer from any incursion of new world screwworm.”

— Stephen Diebel, First Vice President, Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (USDA News Release)

What’s next

The USDA and Texas officials will continue to monitor the border and conduct extensive trapping and surveillance to prevent the spread of the new world screwworm into the United States. The sterile fly dispersal facility will play a key role in these ongoing efforts.

The takeaway

The new sterile fly facility in Texas represents a significant investment by the federal government and state of Texas to protect American agriculture and wildlife from the threat of the new world screwworm. This coordinated effort demonstrates the importance of a whole-of-government approach to addressing emerging agricultural pests and safeguarding the nation's food security.