By Zoila Palma: Mexico and the United States have officially inaugurated a new sterile fly production plant in Chiapas as part of a joint effort to contain the spread of the New World screwworm, a deadly livestock parasite that has disrupted cattle trade across North America.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins attended the opening of the $50 million facility in Metapa de Domínguez, near the Guatemala border on June 27, 2026, Reuters report.
Once fully operational, the plant is expected to produce up to 100 million sterile flies each week to help suppress the wild screwworm population.
The New World screwworm is a parasite that burrows into the flesh of warm-blooded animals, often causing severe injury or death if left untreated.
Mexico confirmed its first case of the current outbreak in November 2024, and the pest has since spread northward, infecting more than 30,000 animals across the country.
Earlier this year, the United States confirmed its first screwworm cases in decades in Texas, raising concerns about the threat to the U.S. cattle industry. While the new facility will significantly boost sterile fly production, experts caution that current supplies may still be insufficient to completely eradicate the pest.
The outbreak has had a major impact on cross-border cattle trade. Since May 2025, the United States has kept its border largely closed to Mexican live cattle imports, disrupting a trade that previously supplied more than one million animals annually to U.S. feedlots.
The restrictions have tightened cattle supplies in Texas, while prompting many Mexican ranchers to expand domestic feeding and processing operations. As a result, Mexico’s beef exports to the United States have increased during 2026.
The post International News: US, Mexico open sterile fly plant in Chiapas to combat screwworm outbreak appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Zoila Palma: Mexico and the United States have officially inaugurated a new sterile fly production plant in Chiapas as part of a joint effort to contain the spread of the New World screwworm, a deadly livestock parasite that has disrupted cattle trade across North America. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke
The post International News: US, Mexico open sterile fly plant in Chiapas to combat screwworm outbreak appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.