The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will spend $25 million on a sterile fly dispersal facility in Arizona to counter the New World screwworm, a flesh-eating livestock pest, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced Wednesday.
The facility will back efforts to contain the parasitic fly as the USDA gets ready to lift a ban on Mexican cattle imports put into place over a year ago.
Rollins said that for Arizona, the livestock trade will resume through the Douglas Port of Entry on Aug. 24. Two additional ports of entry will also be opened in New Mexico.
The ban on Mexican cattle pushed U.S. beef prices to record highs, hurting consumers and putting pressure on President Donald Trump’s administration to lower costs. However, the decision to resume imports drew criticism from some U.S. cattle producers, who said it would increase the risk for screwworm infestations….