AUSTIN, TEXAS — Texas Governor Greg Abbott sees the New World screwworm (NWS) as a “serious threat” to Texas livestock and wildlife, according to a letter he wrote to the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) laying out a plan to establish a response team.

In the letter, sent on June 25, Abbott directs the TAHC and TPWD to develop a joint Texas NWS Response Team.

“The mission for the response team is clear: To lead Texas’ prevention and response efforts and ensure that Texas remains informed, prepared and aligned to prevent the re-emergence of this destructive parasite,” he said. “We stand ready to protect our land, livestock and wildlife.”

As a border state, Texas represents the first line of defense against NWS entering the United States from Mexico, Abbott noted. Additionally, an infestation of the disease in Texas could severely affect beef, as Texas leads the nation in cattle inventory.

The Texas NWS Response Team will serve as a hub for coordination, information-sharing, and stakeholder engagement among state, federal and industry partners.

“Texas played a critical role in eradicating this pest from the United States in the 1960s and will do so again if the need arises,” Abbott wrote.

For decades, TAHC and TPWD have been partners in addressing disease management to ensure the health and safety of livestock and wildlife in Texas.

The agencies have already been at work to remain vigilant against the NWS situation in Mexico.

“Texans can be assured that staff have been actively preparing and training for a possible New World screwworm response for over a year,” said Lewis R. “Bud” Dinges, TAHC executive director and state veterinarian. “While we hope we don’t have to deal with the pest on our soil, joint efforts to mitigate damage and protect all commodities from NWS are ongoing and will be bolstered by this well-rounded team.”

David Yoskowitz, TPWD executive director, added, “Excellent work has already been done by stakeholders and state and federal agencies. The charge of the response team is to work directly with landowners, livestock producers and the public. Both the Texas Animal Health Commission and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will bring forward all the resources and expertise at our disposal to ensure that we are prepared and can respond quickly and effectively.”

The announcement of a response team was supported by Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller.

“I’m pleased that Governor Abbott is activating the state agencies under his direct oversight, responsible for protecting animal health and wildlife, to respond to this dire threat,” Miller said. “This pest poses a serious risk not only to Texas livestock and wildlife but also to the economic backbone of our rural communities.

“The Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) will continue to work in collaboration with this response team to relay necessary updates as the spread of the New World screwworm approaches Texas.”

Texas’ heightened efforts to combat NWS, closely follow the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) announcement of a new five-prong approach to protect the US supply chain from the threat of NWS.

Last week, the USDA unveiled a multifaceted plan to both keep the disease from passing the border and help Mexico eradicate the pest.

Part of the plan involved the launch of a $8.5 million sterile NWS fly dispersal facility based in South Texas.

For decades, NWS has been eradicated from the United States, but the country’s southern neighbor has recently reported NWS as close as 700 miles away from the US border.

NWS broke through an established eradication border in Panama in 2022 and then began spreading north through Central America. NWS reached the southern states of Mexico in November 2024 and has continued to spread in multiple Mexican states as far north as Oaxaca.