Lawmakers, USDA seek to combat New World screwworm along the southern border

Just a few hundred miles from our southern border, a flesh-eating parasite has been detected in Mexico, putting America’s farmers and ranchers on watch. The New World screwworm is a parasitic fly that lays its eggs in the open wounds of livestock, primarily cattle and sheep, deer and other wildlife, and on rare occasions, humans and pets. Once hatched, the fly’s larvae feed on tissue, leading to severe infection and often death. If this parasite were ever to reach the United States, our agricultural...