{"id":335193,"date":"2026-06-13T18:23:19","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T18:23:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/335193\/"},"modified":"2026-06-13T18:23:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T18:23:19","slug":"gov-abbott-launches-free-inspector-training-as-texas-battles-new-world-screwworm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/335193\/","title":{"rendered":"Gov. Abbott launches free inspector training as Texas battles New World Screwworm"},"content":{"rendered":"

AUSTIN, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage<\/a>) \u2014\u00a0Governor Greg Abbott today announced the launch of a\u00a0free online course<\/a>\u00a0to expand the number of certified New World Screwworm (NWS) inspectors across Texas. This course will allow more Texans to inspect their animals and certify the documentation required to safely move them, which is critical\u00a0to ensuring cattle\u00a0and livestock commerce\u00a0continues\u00a0uninterrupted.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Developed by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension in partnership with USDA-APHIS, the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC), and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), the first-of-its-kind program launches today.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe State of Texas will use every tool to protect our cattle industry and wildlife while we eradicate this pest,\u201d said Governor Abbott. \u201cAgriLife and TAHC moved quickly to launch this training. Now more people, including private industry, will be able to inspect and certify animals for movement. Through this program, Texas will protect our ranchers, ensure the security of our food supply,\u00a0and keep business strong.\u201d<\/p>\n

New World Screwworm detected in Tom Green County bovine <\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cStopping the spread of NWS will not be possible without our inspectors knowing what to look for, that\u2019s why today\u2019s announcement is critical to keep our cattle industry on track,\u201d\u00a0said USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins.\u00a0\u201cWe encourage everyone who is able to help us identify and report suspected cases to help eradicate this pest as fast as possible. Grateful for Governor Abbott, TAHC, TPWD, and AgriLife for being amazing partners in this fight!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The\u00a0course<\/a>\u00a0is an online, modular program delivered through the AgriLife Learn platform. It includes narrated modules, demonstration videos, and knowledge checks covering NWS biology and life cycle, surveillance and reporting, species-specific inspection and treatment protocols, roles of state and federal agencies, and movement permitting requirements.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Those meeting TAHC eligibility standards who pass the final exam may apply to become a TAHC Certified NWS Inspector, authorized to issue official NWS Treatment\/Movement Certificates for lawful movement of livestock out of infested zones.<\/p>\n

San Angelo, Tom Green County declare disaster after screwworm detection <\/a><\/p>\n

Phase one immediately opens eligibility to the following groups, in addition to existing authorized personnel, including thousands of Texas veterinarians:<\/p>\n

Licensed veterinarians (not already in the Authorized Personnel Program)<\/p>\n

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension agents and Disaster Assessment and Recovery agents<\/p>\n

Texas Department of Agriculture inspectors<\/p>\n

Texas Department of State Health Services Meat Safety inspectors<\/p>\n

Texas Racing Commission inspectors<\/p>\n

Designated personnel from temporary livestock aggregation points<\/p>\n

Additional groups may be added in future phases as the program evolves.\u00a0The course is also available to any Texan for educational purposes.<\/p>\n

Livestock owners, managers, veterinarians, government personnel, and allied industry professionals are encouraged to enroll. To access this free online course<\/a>, please register an account, add course to your cart, and check out.<\/p>\n

Important facts about the New World Screwworm:<\/p>\n

NWS is caused by the larvae of a parasitic fly that lay eggs in the open wounds. The larvae feed on living tissue of warm-blooded animals.<\/p>\n

NWS is not a contagious disease. It does not spread directly from animal to animal.<\/p>\n

NWS is not a food safety issue. Screwworms do not infest meat or other food products. The food supply remains safe.<\/p>\n

Report suspected cases immediately:<\/p>\n

Livestock or pets: Texas Animal Health Commission at 1-800-550-8242<\/p>\n

Wildlife: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department at 512-389-4505<\/p>\n

More information: screwworm.gov<\/p>\n

The course directly supports the state\u2019s aggressive NWS response. Under Governor Abbott\u2019s leadership, Texas has deployed sterile insect technique releases, established quarantines in infested zones,\u00a0and committed all available state resources to protect the livestock industry while maintaining business continuity.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ConchoValleyHomepage.com. <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"AUSTIN, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) \u2014\u00a0Governor Greg Abbott today announced the launch of a\u00a0free online course\u00a0to expand the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":335194,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[16677,119750,6944,16698,117206,27,60364,29,28,2603],"class_list":["post-335193","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-texas","tag-cattle-industry","tag-free-online-course","tag-governor-greg-abbott","tag-nws","tag-tahc","tag-texas","tag-texas-animal-health-commission","tag-texas-headlines","tag-texas-news","tag-texas-parks-and-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335193","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=335193"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335193\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/335194"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=335193"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=335193"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=335193"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}