Ag News

USDA, Corps of Engineers break ground on sterile fly production facility

On April 17, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and Lt. Gen. William  “Butch” Graham, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) commanding general, led the groundbreaking for the new sterile fly production facility at Moore Air Base in Edinburg, Texas. USDA is partnering with USACE to construct this facility, which is a cornerstone of the USDA’s strategy to combat New World Screwworm (NWS), expanding the nation’s domestic capacity to protect livestock, wildlife, and public health from this serious pest.

“Breaking ground on this facility marks a major investment in safeguarding America’s livestock and the producers who feed this nation. This puts NWS sterile fly production in American hands, so we do not have to rely on other countries for the best offensive measure to push screwworm away from our borders,” said Secretary Rollins. “The New World Screwworm threatens the health of our herds, the stability of rural economies, and the resilience of our supply chain.”

The Edinburg facility is near the U.S. border with Mexico. As of April 20, Mexico had 1,395 active cases nationwide, with the greatest concentration in the southern half of the country, according to USDA data. The two Mexican states with active NWS cases closest to the U.S. border – within 90 miles – are Nuevo Leon (five active cases) and Tamaulipas (102 active cases). Overall, there have been 21,058 cases – combined total of active and inactive cases - reported in Mexico.

USACE is providing engineering, design, construction management, and contract oversight for the project, ensuring the facility meets the highest standards for biosecurity, reliability, and long‑term operational readiness.

“Our mission at USACE is to deliver engineering solutions, with our partners, to secure our nation, strengthen our economy, and reduce disaster risk,” said Gen. Graham. “That’s why we’re proud to deliver an engineering solution to the New World Screwworm, which represents a direct threat to our nation’s livestock, our food security, and our economy. This new, modern facility is the critical infrastructure we need to secure a defensive line against the New World Screwworm for generations to come.”

The new facility is being built with an aggressive timeline designed to quickly expand the nation’s sterile fly production capacity:

Initial operational capability is targeted for November 2027, reaching production of 100 million sterile flies per week.

Construction continues immediately beyond initial operations to scale full production capacity to 300 million sterile flies per week.

A sterile fly production facility plays a crucial role in NWS prevention and response. In a biosecure environment, NWS flies are raised and sterilized using irradiation before being released in targeted areas. Because female screwworm flies mate only once, mating with sterile males results in eggs that do not hatch. Sterile insect technique, paired with surveillance, animal movement restrictions, and education and outreach, has been the foundation of successful screwworm eradication efforts for decades.

This new state-of-the-art facility will complement USDA’s ongoing production of 100 million sterile flies per week at the Panama-based COPEG facility. USDA has also invested $21 million to support modernization of Mexico’s Metapa, MX, facility, expected to be operational in summer 2026.

Once fully operational, this expanded production network will provide the speed, scale, and domestic capability needed to rapidly counter any NWS threat—reducing risks to producers, protecting animal health, and strengthening the resilience of America’s livestock industry.

For more information about New World Screwworm and USDA’s prevention efforts, visit Screwworm.gov.

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