The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has approved the release of two New World screwworm (NWS) infested zones in Texas, following concurrence from Texas’s State Veterinarian, Dr. Bud Dinges, and the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC). This marks a significant milestone: the first NWS infested zones to be released in Texas since the first case was detected in Texas on June 3.
“The Texas Animal Health Commission has been an outstanding partner throughout our response to New World screwworm. Their vigilance, on the ground expertise, and unwavering commitment to protecting livestock and wildlife have been essential to our shared success,” said Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Dudley Hoskins. “Thanks to this strong federal-state partnership, we’ve been able to identify cases early, respond aggressively, and slow the spread of NWS across affected areas. Today’s milestone demonstrates the power of coordinated action — showing producers, communities, and the nation that when we work together, we can protect animal health and maintain continuity of business even in challenging situations.”
The two zones being released are:
- Infested Zone 02.A (including portions of La Salle and Webb counties)
- Infested Zone 03 (including portions of Gillespie, Kerr, and Kimble counties)
This action comes after state and federal subject matter experts confirmed that the two areas met all requirements outlined in APHIS’ New World Screwworm Response Playbook for zone release.
As cases have been confirmed in Texas, TAHC and APHIS have worked together, establishing infested zones and carrying out essential response activities, including:
- Establishing domestic animal movement requirements with inspections
- Wildlife and fly surveillance
- Strategic releases of sterile NWS flies
Releasing these zones removes NWS related movement requirements for livestock and pets within the released areas, allowing producers to resume normal intrastate and interstate movement without NWS inspection. All non-NWS-related interstate movement requirements and international export requirements will still apply.
Several infested zones in Texas remain in place, and APHIS continues to work closely with TAHC to evaluate conditions for future zone releases.
