By Jamie Martin
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced plans to construct a sterile fly production facility at Moore Air Base in Edinburg, Texas. The project will be carried out in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and aims to strengthen the fight against the New World Screwworm pest.
“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 U.S. 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 U.S. soil will ensure we are not reliant on other countries for sterile flies,” said Rollins.
Mortenson Construction has been selected to build the facility. USACE will oversee the engineering, design, and construction process while working closely with USDA to ensure the project meets strict biosecurity standards.
“For more than 250 years, USACE has helped secure America by engineering solutions to our nation’s toughest challenges,” said Lt. Gen. William H. “Butch” Graham, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers commanding general.
“We are proud to be partnering with USDA in the construction of the Sterile Fly Facility, a critical investment in our nation’s future agricultural, public and economic health. Combining our engineering expertise with USDA’s mission expertise brings us one step closer to alleviating this biological threat,” said William.
The new facility will play an important role in protecting livestock, wildlife, and public health in the United States. It will also strengthen the country’s domestic capacity to respond to biological threats affecting agriculture.
At the center of the project is the Sterile Insect Technique, a widely used method to control harmful insect populations. In this process, male screwworm flies are raised in controlled environments and sterilized using irradiation. The sterile males are then released into affected areas.
Since female screwworm flies mate only once during their lifetime, mating with sterile males results in eggs that do not hatch. Over time, this greatly reduces the population of the pest.
The United States has relied on sterile fly programs for many years to keep screwworm out of the country. Today, about 100 million sterile flies are produced each week at a facility in Panama and released near areas where the pest remains active in Mexico.
Additional investments are also helping expand sterile fly production in Mexico through the renovation of an existing facility. That site is expected to begin operations in 2026.
The Texas facility will become the only sterile fly production center located in the United States. It will operate alongside the facilities in Panama and Mexico to support a regional eradication strategy.
Construction is expected to begin later this spring. Officials estimate the facility will produce 100 million sterile flies each week by November 2027, with future expansion plans to reach 300 million flies weekly.
The New World Screwworm was eliminated in the United States in 1966 but continued monitoring and control programs remain essential to keep the pest from returning.
Photo Credit: usda
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