Screwworms Take a Bite Out of Texas’ Beef Industry || Peter Zeihan
Why It Matters
The outbreak threatens regional beef supply, driving already-elevated retail prices and disrupting North American cattle trade and feedlot operations, with prolonged economic pain for producers and consumers and large public and private remediation costs.
Summary
A resurgence of screwworm—a parasitic blowfly historically eradicated in the U.S.—has produced multiple confirmed outbreaks across South Texas, threatening rapid spread through cattle, sheep and goats and forcing mass treatments and costly containment measures. The only proven control is large-scale release of irradiated sterile male flies, but U.S. production capacity is far short of what's needed; current facilities can produce millions per week while billions per week would be required to suppress the infestation. The outbreak has already driven heavy emergency spending in Texas, halted cross-border cattle movements from Mexico and Canada, and reduced feedlot throughput, cutting beef production in affected regions. Officials warn containment will take months to years even under ideal conditions, with herd rebuilding stretching into the late 2020s at best.
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