USDA rejects Texas ag department's fly trap to prevent screwworm larvae from infecting cattle

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Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller is trading barbs with the Trump Administration over its response to a parasitic pest that continues to make its way north in Mexico, and could potentially threaten the state’s $15 billion cattle industry if it crosses the border.

This week, in an interview with a Nashville television network that focuses on rural issues, Miller expressed frustration that the U.S. Department of Agriculture was not using a synthetic bait that he has promoted to combat the New World Screwworm, a fly that infects warm-blooded animals and recently has been spotted less than 100 miles from the border.

“I still haven’t gotten buy-in from the USDA to do a fly bait,” Miller told RFD-TV. “If we put out the fly bait, we can wipe out the screwworm in Mexico in 90 days, but for some reason, they’re very reluctant to do that.”

On Tuesday, the USDA responded accusing the elected agriculture commissioner of “blatantly disregarding tried and true (New World Screwworm) offensive strategies in favor of clickbait publicity stunts.”

In the statement, which was first reported by RFD-TV and provided to The Texas Tribune by the USDA, a spokesperson said the agency deployed and tested Miller’s “infamous traps” and they were found to be “ineffective.”

“In one month, USDA’s traps in Panama caught thousands of New World Screwworm flies — Commissioner Miller’s traps caught ONE single NWS fly,” the spokesperson said. “When presented with the results of his traps underperforming, Commissioner Miller indicated USDA staff should ‘paint them black’ to which USDA declined.”

“USDA looks forward to working with any and all partners who seek to find REAL solutions to defeat the NWS,” the spokesperson added.

In response to the USDA, Miller issued a statement saying he appreciated the agency’s “historic effort” to fight the New World Screwworm.

“We’re all on the same team here, and I look forward to continuing our partnership to stop this threat in its tracks,” he said.

Since August, Miller has been pushing for state and federal agencies to use a synthetic bait he called TDA Swormlure, which he said was created by his Biosecurity team.

“This new attractant, named TDA Swormlure, marks a serious upgrade in our efforts to protect Texas livestock from the threat of the New World Screwworm,” said Miller in an August press release. “(E)arly feedback has been encouraging, and the traps are expected to outperform anything else available.”

On Monday, Miller told RFD-TV he was frustrated that the USDA wasn’t using the fly bait.

“They tell me that it’s environmentally unsound because it will kill the good flies,” Miller said. “Good flies, is that like a good fire ant? I don’t know what a good fly is. I don’t know if they’re afraid to kill house flies or stable flies, but I’m ready to kill the screwworm fly.”

The USDA has announced a variety of methods to try and stop the fly from entering the United States and infecting cattle. In June, Secretary Brooke Rollins announced a plan to combat the threat of the parasitic insect that includes investing $8.5 million to build a sterile fly dispersal facility at Moore Air Base in Edinburg. In August, USDA announced a $750 million facility in Edinburg that will produce about 300 million sterile screwworm flies per week.

By mating with sterile female flies, the intent is to produce non-viable eggs so that the population will eventually die out.

Miller, who was once reportedly in contention for Rollins’ job leading the U.S. department, has issued multiple public statements and press releases about the state’s efforts to combat New World Screwworm, stating that the Texas Department of Agriculture is the “tip of the spear” in partnering to combat the fly.

In June, Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the Texas Animal Health Commission and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to establish a Texas New World Screwworm Response Team to help coordinate and share information on efforts to stop the spread of the parasite.

“The mission for the Response Team is clear: to lead Texas’ prevention and response efforts and ensure that Texas remains informed, prepared, and aligned to prevent the re-emergence of this destructive parasite,” Abbott wrote in a letter to the agency heads in June.

Immediately after RFD-TV published USDA’s statements, Texas agriculture groups, including the Texas Farm Bureau and Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, signaled on social media their support for the federal agency over Miller.

“The proven way to eradicate screwworm is through sterile fly production, not traps & bait,” wrote the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association on X. “TSCRA stands with the Trump Administration, @SecRollins and USDA. We cannot afford distractions from unproven methods.”

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Berenice Garcia contributed to this report.

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This story was originally published by The Texas Tribune and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.