USDA to open fly dispersal site in Texas to fight screwworm New facility in Hidalgo County aims to stop pest at the border20 June 2025 20 June 2025 2 minute read 2 minute read By: By: Global Ag Media North AmericaUS Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced plans on Wednesday to open a sterile fly dispersal facility in Hidalgo County, Texas, as part of the country's effort to fight the encroachment of New World screwworm, reported Reuters. One key tool to fighting screwworm is the release of sterile flies, which reduce the mating population of the wild flies. Currently, the only sterile fly production facility in North America is in Panama. The Hidalgo County facility would receive fly larvae from that plant, and raise and disperse the flies by plane, Rollins said. The USDA has also invested $21 million in updating a plant in Metapa, Mexico, to produce sterile flies.