Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced on Friday a new plan to protect the United States from the threat posed by flesh-eating flies south of the border, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) said in an Aug. 15 statement.
The parasite, New World screwworm (NWS), is a “devastating pest,” the agency said.
“When NWS fly larvae (maggots) burrow into the flesh of a living animal, they cause serious, often deadly damage to the animal. NWS can infest livestock, pets, wildlife, occasionally birds, and in rare cases, people,” according to the statement.
“It is not only a threat to our ranching community, but it is a threat to our food supply and our national security.”…