AUSTIN, Texas (KXXV) — Governor Greg Abbott is holding a press conference discussing the threat of screwworm in Texas on Friday.
Gov. Abbott will be joined by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins to talk about plans to fight back against threats posed by the New World screwworm.
During the press conference, Gov. Abbott and Sec. Rollins announced a $750 million investment to combat the New World screwworm threat in the state.
The investment will help protect American livestock, the country's food supply and economy.
The new $750 million facility is set to be built in Edinburg to sterilize New World screwworm flies and prevent them from reproducing. The facility has the capacity to produce 300 million sterile screwworm flies each week, tripling the current capacity to combat the New World screwworm threat.
"Texas agricultural producers feed the world, with our state's food and agriculture sector supporting over 2 million good-paying jobs and creating over $867 billion in total economic impact. All of this is at risk because of the New World screwworm. Working with Secretary Rollins and agricultural community leaders nationwide, we will combat the New World screwworm threat right here in Texas by building a new $750 million facility to breed hundreds of millions of sterile screwworm flies. Together, we will eradicate New World screwworm threat to protect our nation's food supply and economy.”
Watch the press conference here:
“We have assessed the information on the ground in Mexico and have determined we must construct an additional sterile fly production facility in the U.S. to stop the northward advancement of this terrible pest that is threatening American cattle production. President Trump has made it clear that we must take all necessary steps to protect our country from foreign pests and diseases that threaten our economy and way of life. Today we are announcing a major investment to further America’s existential role in protecting our country and secure our borders from this national security threat. The construction of a domestic sterile fly production facility will ensure the United States continues to lead the way in combating this devastating pest. If our ranchers are overrun by foreign pests, then we cannot feed ourselves. USDA and Customs and Border Protection are constantly monitoring our ports of entry to keep NWS away from our borders. We are working every day to ensure our American agricultural industry is safe, secure, and resilient.”
To read the full press release following the press conference, click here.
