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USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins yesterday provided an update on the Department’s ongoing partnership with Mexico to combat the New World Screwworm (NWS).
Yesterday afternoon, Secretary Rollins held a call with her counterpart in Mexico, Secretary Berdegue, to discuss the ongoing threat of NWS and actions being taken by both countries to contain the threat south of the U.S. border.
Current restrictions on live animal imports from Mexico remain in place, and as previously announced, USDA will continue to evaluate the current suspension every 30 days.
USDA is working daily with Mexico to make sure the resources, tactics, and tools are in place to effectively eradicate NWS.
“Our partnership with Mexico is crucial in making this effort a success,” said Secretary Rollins.
Additionally, Secretary Rollins announced that USDA is investing $21 million to renovate an existing fruit fly production facility in Metapa, Mexico to further the long-term goal of eradicating this insect. When operational, this facility will produce 60-100 million additional sterile NWS flies weekly to push the population further south in Mexico.
Given the geographic spread of NWS, this additional production capacity will be critical to USDA’s response.
Source: USDA
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