The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) is urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to give “full and timely consideration” for approval of new technology to help prevent New World screwworm (NWS).
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) recently applied to register NovoFly – a technology incorporating a genetically engineered female-lethal trait that results in male-only sterile flies – for use in combatting NWS.
In a letter dated April 27, NPPC noted that many chemical treatments to manage NWS infestations no longer are widely available or practical for large-scale prevention. NovoFly, it said, provides a targeted, species-specific, and environmentally responsible alternative that aligns with modern integrated pest management principles.
Approving ARS’s application for NovoFly, NPPC said, “will help ensure that the United States remains prepared to prevent the reintroduction and spread of New World screwworm, protecting animal health, agricultural producers, and the broader economy.”
The introduction of a pest such as NWS into the United States, if not addressed quickly, would result in immediate animal and human health risks and implications that would affect significant portions of the U.S. economy and food supply security, NPPC said.
NWS is a flesh-eating parasite from female flies that lay eggs in wounds on warm-blooded animals. Animals that recently have given birth, suffered an injury, or had a surgical procedure, such as tail docking or branding, are most vulnerable.
