Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller is calling the New World screwworm a direct and imminent threat to ranchers and livestock.
Miller issued an alert on Friday after the parasitic fly was detected in Nuevo Leon, about 90 miles from the Texas-Mexico border. Miller said the state is moving aggressively alongside its federal partners to stay ahead of the screwworm.
The USDA recently opened a facility in Hidalgo County to help combat the screwworm by producing sterile male flies.