The threat of New World screwworm is looming, but not enough progress has been made towards containing it. Recently, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins wrote a letter to Mexico Secretary of Agriculture Julio Berdegué Sacristán, urging the Mexican government to help prevent the spread of screwworm. NCBA Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane said that effort includes deploying a population of sterile male screwworms in order to curb reproduction.
However, Lane said the process to getting those sterile screwworms out there needs to be streamlined.
Lane said Secretary Rollins’s letter include a request for the Mexican government to add a high-level point of contact who can help streamline the process.
Lane added that the NCBA delivered a similar message to members of the Mexican embassy during a recent trip to Washington D.C.
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