TL:DR
WASHINGTON — The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) announced a construction contract with Mortenson Construction to build a new sterile fly production facility at Moore Air Base in Edinburg, Texas.
The facility will be the only US-based sterile fly production facility, which will work in tandem with facilities in Panama and Mexico to help eradicate New World screwworm (NWS).
“The Army Corps of Engineers is an essential partner in bringing this facility to life and further highlights the Trump administration’s government wide effort to fight the New World screwworm threat in Mexico,” said US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins. “The Army Corps is the best in the business and their engineering expertise and proven track record in delivering complex projects will help ensure we can build a modern, resilient facility that protects American agriculture from invasive pests for decades to come. This first of its kind facility on US soil will ensure we are not reliant on other countries for sterile flies.”
USDA and USACE will break ground on the Moore Air Base facility later this spring after meeting with the contractor for initial planning.
The new facility is expected to reach its initial goal of producing 100 million sterile flies per week by November 2027. Construction will continue beyond that point so that the facility can produce its long-term goal of 300 million sterile flies per week.
USDA currently produces approximately 100 million sterile flies per week at the COPEG facility in Panama. They are dispersed within and just north of the affected areas in Mexico.
In addition to the COPEG facility, USDA invested $21 million to support Mexico’s renovation of an existing fruit fly facility in Metapa, which will double NWS production capacity once complete. Mexico anticipates production at the facility will begin in summer 2026.
In February, Rollins and Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced the grand opening of a sterile fly dispersal facility at the Moore Air Base in Texas.
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Crazy! I had no idea the government was making sterile flies to combat this invasive species. Not sure what to make of it I assume it might be a really issue.
Plot twist tho. They will create zhe abundanz of sterilized bugz. And then you will eat them.
hahahahahah
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I think they did something similar like a hundred years ago to eradicate these flies but now they’re creeping back towards the border.
We talked about it a while ago in the context of the import restrictions on cattle.
The things are disgusting
Producing hundreds of millions of sterile flies per week sounds like science fiction.