The USDA financed the plant with an investment of US$83.8 million.
On Saturday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum inaugurated a sterile fly production plant in Chiapas, alongside U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, to fight the screwworm infestation in the region.
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Mexico Expands Measures Against Cattle Screwworm
The event took place in the municipality of Metapa de Dominguez and was also attended by U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Douglas Johnson, within the context of bilateral and regional cooperation.
Sheinbaum recalled that the relationship with the United States must be based on mutual respect, dialogue, and sovereignty, underscoring that scientific cooperation is more powerful than confrontation in protecting the well-being of nations.
The United States financed the plant with an investment of US$83.8 million, and it will produce up to 100 million sterile flies per week, which will be added to those produced at the Pacora plant in Panama, reinforcing the regional strategy for controlling and eradicating the parasite.
Amid the first confirmation of screwworm on a US farm in decades, Phillip Kaufman, head of the entomology department at Texas A&M University spoke to Reuters about a potential solution that can curb the spread of the flesh-eating parasite https://t.co/VheL454Ryn pic.twitter.com/CRV7DDs5T7
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 5, 2026
The international agri-food coordinator, Julio Berdegue, compared the technique to COVID-19 vaccines: the sterile flies allow for breaking the screwworm’s reproductive cycle and eradicating the pest at its root.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER) reported that 5.3 million head of cattle have been inspected, 84,000 shipments verified, and nearly 7 billion sterile flies released in the region.
Since November 2024, Chiapas has become the epicenter of the pest with more than 7,000 accumulated cases, leading the United States to impose restrictions on Mexican cattle and generating trade tensions.
#Mexico | President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed that Mexico’s renowned rescue group “Los Topos” received full support from the government and Volaris airline to travel and provide critical aid following the recent tragedy.
“Los Topos have been working together since 1985 and are… pic.twitter.com/ZGhGUVKEOD
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) June 29, 2026
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Source: EFE
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