Hoskins: USDA focuses on HPAI, screwworm threats 

NEW ORLEANS — Trump administration officials are well aware of the threats of highly pathogenic avian influenza and new world screwworm, Agriculture Undersecretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Dudley Hoskins told the National Farmers Union at their convention here today. 

Hoskins noted that the country is in the middle of the spring migratory season for birds and said the threats are not just for turkey and poultry on farms but also are coming from “anything moving on or off your operation.”

Commercial turkey flocks have been affected in Pennsylvania and Illinois in recent days, WATT Poultry reported. 

On the new world screwworm, Hoskins said the goal of U.S. efforts is to push the fly back beyond the Darien Gap, which separates South America from North Dakota.

The new world screwworm is a parasitic fly whose larvae feed on warm-blooded animals, causing severe animal health impacts and significant economic losses if not controlled. The United States eliminated the pest in 1966 and has maintained that status through the sterile fly program and international partnerships.

Hoskins said that USDA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have agreed to a contract with Mortenson Construction to build a new sterile fly production facility at Moore Air Base in Edinburg, Texas, next door to a facility that opened last month to disperse them.

A sterile fly production facility is a specialized biosecure complex where new world screwworm flies are raised and sterilized using irradiation, and then released into targeted areas. Female flies only mate once in their lives, so if they mate with a sterile male, they lay unfertilized eggs that don’t hatch.

USDA and the Army Corps is scheduled to break ground on the new facility later this spring, after initial planning and development meetings with the new contractor.

By November 2027, the production facility is expected to reach its initial goal of producing 100 million sterile flies per week. After that, work will continue to increase production with the long-term goal of producing 300 million sterile flies per week.

U.S. Cattlemen’s Association President Justin Tupper said in a news release,  “This new sterile fly production facility in Texas is a clear signal that protecting U.S. animal health and safeguarding our livestock industry remains a national priority.”

“America’s cattle producers depend on strong, science-based defense systems against foreign animal pests and diseases, and we welcome this investment as an important step toward providing producers with the tools they need to stay prepared,” Tupper said. “The threat of new world screwworm infestation in the United States is a matter of national security. USCA looks forward to a timely and efficient construction process and to continued collaboration with federal partners to ensure the long-term resilience and safety of the U.S. cattle herd.” 

The U.S border remains closed to the importation of cattle, bison and horses, and Hoskins said USDA re-evaluates the need to keep the border closed on a daily  basis. 

On another issue, Hoskins also told the Farmers Union members that he is aware of their interest in competition and antitrust issues and his mission area, which includes administration of the Packers and Stockyards Act, is cooperating with the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission to “dig in” on those issues. 

He said that new local agricultural marketing programs will address some of the issues that have come up since the Trump administration canceled some contracts last year. 

After his speech, Hoskins met with Farmers Union members to listen to their issues.