Congress has found a rare point of unity: stopping U.S. cattle from getting swarmed by flesh-eating flies coming from Mexico. A bipartisan group of lawmakers is pushing forward the STOP Screwworms Act — a bill designed to protect cattle by releasing a peculiar army: sterilized flies.
The goal is to halt the spread of the New World screwworm, a parasitic fly whose larvae feed on the living flesh of livestock, wildlife, and — in rare cases — humans. If left untreated, infestations can be fatal. Now, after years of peace, the pest is back on the radar, crawling north through Mexico and stirring panic among U.S. ranchers and agricultural leaders.
