Leaders from the USDA and the Army Corps of Engineers held a groundbreaking for the new sterile fly production facility at Moore Air Base in Texas. The new plant is a cornerstone in the USDA’s plan to combat the advancing New World Screwworm in Mexico. Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins said this is an important event for U.S. agriculture.
“I have, over the last year, as we have built up our abilities, our capacity, our battle, our partnerships have been here with you all on these front lines, and I have become more confident, more impressed, and just more grateful for all of the incredible work that is getting done. Last August, we pledged to build a New World Screwworm sterile fly production facility right here in the United States, which we have never had before.”
She said breaking ground on the facility marks a major investment in safeguarding America’s livestock and the producers who feed the nation.
“I found it a little incredible that we were relying on a facility in Panama to fight this pest, but with the ultimate goal of never being in this situation again, that when we are gone, when we’ve all moved on to the next thing, when our children and our grandchildren are in these positions, they will never have to worry about this devastating pest ever being on our side of the border again.”