It has been a few weeks now since the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) warned Texas residents about the possibility of New World Screwworm (NWS), an invasive fly that lays eggs on an animal's open wound or other areas such as eyes or mouth that then dig into the animal and feed on living flesh.
Despite no confirmed identifications of screwworm in Texas, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has banned Mexican cattle imports since November. And according to Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, the ban on imports is a much bigger problem than the screwworm itself, as closing cattle imports damages their livelihoods, bottlenecks beef production and can lead to potential increases in beef prices.
