WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — Florida has enacted emergency rules to block the flesh-eating screwworm from entering the state after the parasite was detected in Texas.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said Friday it will not accept warm-blooded animals from infested areas through June 10. After that, shipments must have a state-issued certificate of veterinary inspection within two days of arrival and a veterinary exam within five days.
Animals from high-risk areas without proper documentation will be quarantined, and the supplier will be fined. Shipments from infested zones will be turned away at the border.
The screwworm is a parasitic fly that lays eggs in wounds and feeds on living tissue, according to the CDC. It was eradicated in the U.S. in 1966, aside from a small Florida Keys outbreak in 2017. The Texas case marks the first confirmed U.S. detection in years after a northward spread from Central America through Mexico.
See also: Stuart unveils massive mural to promote Ecosystem Awareness
The USDA says it does not spread through meat, poultry or dairy and poses no food safety risk, but it can severely impact livestock production.
Florida had about 1.5 million cattle in 2022, with the industry generating more than $2 billion in sales, according to federal data.
“We’re going to have to be diligent and check our livestock,” Pat Durden, former Florida Cattlemen’s Association president, told News Service Florida. “I don’t think anybody should be extremely worried.”