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Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Wednesday her department will invest $25 million towards opening a new sterile fly dispersal facility in Arizona to combat New World Screwworm (NWS).
During a visit to the Grand Canyon State, Rollins joined Arizona GOP Reps. Andy Biggs, Juan Ciscomani and Eli Crane to tout the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) containment work ahead of the reopening of the southern cattle port in Douglas, Arizona.
“The sterile insect technique is the only proven method to eradicate New World screwworm, and we will continue expanding this critical tool to protect America’s livestock and food supply,” Rollins wrote on X.
Last week, the USDA said it was implementing a “phased reopening” of cattle ports starting next month. The department closed the entryways in May 2025 after it detected an outbreak of NWS.
The USDA will open the port in Douglas on Aug. 24, with ports in two New Mexico border cities, Santa Teresa and Columbus, set to reopen after — so long as Mexico complies with the Joint Action Plan the two countries are operating under.
Animals entering the U.S. via the ports will undergo a “full USDA inspection” for signs of screwworm infection, the department noted.
As of Wednesday, the federal government has detected 42 cases of NWS since the outbreak began on June 3, with eight cases still active, according to a USDA dashboard.
The current risk of NWS to the public and animals in the U.S. is very low, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). There have been no reports of the disease among Americans, the CDC notes.
Rollins said Wednesday she looks “forward” to working with local, state and federal partners to bring the Douglas screwworm facility. The secretary also backed the Trump administration’s “aggressive” response to the NWS outbreak, adding she remains “confident” in the phased reopening plan.
“The fight isn’t over, but we are making real progress,” Rollins added. “We will keep building on that momentum until New World screwworm is eradicated.”
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