Deadly Screwworm Parasite's Comeback Threatens Texas Cattle, US Beef Supply

Pharmaceutical treatments and ivermectin

• Several comments ask whether ivermectin can protect cattle from screwworm.
• Linked studies show:
  • It can be effective against “regular” screwworm (Chrysomya bezziana), especially via injections.
  • For New World screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax), efficacy is more limited; one cited study reported ~29% of treated calves still developed myiasis, while an alternative drug (doramectin) was fully effective in that trial.
• There’s confusion over formulations: injectable, pour‑on, ear tags, topical vs oral; not all routes tested for screwworm.
• Even when using drugs, physical removal of larvae is still needed; leaving dead maggots in wounds can be fatal.
• Some note the risk of resistance if ivermectin is used widely.

Eradication strategy and sterile insect technique

• Multiple comments recall the long-standing sterile insect technique (SIT) program that pushed screwworm back to the Darién Gap.
• The program is described as:
  • Costing on the order of tens to hundreds of millions of dollars cumulatively.
  • Credited (via press reports) with saving U.S. farmers roughly hundreds of millions per year.
• Commenters argue it’s relatively cheap compared to military spending and benefits both livestock and humans.
• Recent setbacks are tied to U.S.–Mexico tensions:
  • Restrictions on U.S. planes releasing sterile flies over Mexico and tariffs on program equipment reportedly hampered control.
  • A late-April agreement to lift restrictions is mentioned as a positive step.

Bureaucracy, government capacity, and politics

• One thread stresses that large-scale SIT and cross-border coordination require a competent, well‑staffed bureaucracy.
• Others counter that “science institutes,” not bureaucracy, are key; pushback notes that large scientific operations inherently need administrative structures.
• There’s a long debate over whether government is inherently inefficient vs comparable to or better than large corporations, with citations in both directions and heavy reliance on personal experience.
• Several comments blame recent cuts and politicized “disruption” of USDA/APHIS and broader federal staffing for weakened capacity to manage crises like screwworm.
• Broader arguments about deficits, tariffs, and partisan politics surface, with no consensus on fiscal risk but agreement that current turmoil is increasing systemic fragility.

Trade, food standards, and imports

• Commenters note the U.S. imports substantial cattle and that mixed provenance complicates export markets.
• U.S. beef is said to be restricted in places like the EU/UK due to antibiotics, chemical treatments, and differing food standards.
• Some suggest that if screwworm damages U.S. herds, the response may simply be more beef imports, clashing with protectionist trade policies.

Meat consumption and ethics

• Some frame the situation as a “good day to be vegan,” arguing industrial animal farming is inherently cruel.
• Others distinguish concentrated animal feeding operations from traditional family farms, claiming the latter can provide relatively good lives for animals and environmental benefits.
• A philosophical subthread disputes whether eating plants vs animals is morally distinct, with references to plant perception and panpsychic perspectives, and pushback focused on clear evidence of animal suffering.
• There’s pragmatic advice to reduce meat consumption (e.g., a few vegetarian days per week) to build resilience against supply shocks from screwworm, bird flu, or inflation.

Operational details and side notes

• A question about “$6 per stressed cow pie” is clarified: ranchers paid by live weight lose money when stressed animals defecate before weighing.
• Linked feature pieces and interviews on screwworm eradication are recommended reading for historical and technical context, including graphic accounts of human cases.
• Some commenters emphasize that the technical science for screwworm control is largely solved; the remaining challenges are funding, logistics, and sustained international cooperation.