NWS case found 70 miles from border in Nuevo León
The cattle industry is praising Secretary Brooke Rollins and the USDA for their swift response and transparency.
A case of New World Screwworm (NWS) was found just 70 miles from the southern border in the state of Nuevo León, Mexico. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) told the public about the case on Monday, just hours after receiving confirmation from the Mexican government, according to an official press release.
Sabinas Hidalgo, the town where the dangerous parasite was found on an 8 month-old calf, is located near a major highway connecting Monterrey, Nuevo León and Laredo, Texas. This marks the northernmost case in the current NWS outbreak, and the most serious threat yet to U.S. livestock producers.
The border has been closed to live animal trade since July, and will remain so for the foreseeable future, according to Rollins.
“We have given Mexico every opportunity and every resource necessary to counter NWS since announcing the NWS Bold Plan in June 2025,” she stated. “Nevertheless, American ranchers and families should know that we will not rely on Mexico to defend our industry, our food supply, or our way of life.”
In August, Rollins announced a comprehensive five-point plan to address the northern creep of NWS, including the construction of a $750 billion sterile fly facility in Texas.
The cattle industry has praised Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and her team at the USDA for their swift response and transparency.
NWS began spreading under the Biden administration, crossing the USDA’s established buffer zone in Panama and reaching southern Mexico. Once a major blight facing U.S. livestock producers, the flesh-eating parasite was eradicated in North America by the 1970s thanks to the USDA’s sterile fly program.