(Allie Goulding/The Texas Tribune, Allie Goulding/The Texas Tribune)
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McALLEN — The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a suspected case of New World screwworm — the parasitic fly poised to harm the state’s $15 billion cattle industry — in South Texas.
The USDA is testing a sample of the potential infestation at the USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, lowa, the agency announced on social media on Wednesday.
The USDA added it had already activated personnel on the ground and were working with local partners.
The announcement comes one day after Secretary Brooke Rollins debunked the claims of a state lawmaker that the screwworm was less than 1 mile from the U.S.-Mexico border.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Reporting in the Rio Grande Valley is supported in part by the Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.
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