Additional Screwworm Cases Confirmed in U.S.
Bernt Nelson
Economist
Chad Smith
Associate News Service Editor, NAFB
photo credit: AFBF Photo, Dylan Davidson
Bernt Nelson
Economist
Chad Smith
Associate News Service Editor, NAFB
Additional Cases of New World Screwworm in the U.S. have drawn a reaction from Canada, one of America’s top trading partners. Chad Smith has more.
Smith: Animal health officials have announced several new confirmed New World Screwworm cases on U.S. soil. Bernt Nelson, an economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation, said the cases are all contained to border states at this time.
Nelson: Now, this involved the second case, just shy of six miles away from the first detection. It was discovered in a one-month-old calf. Looking a little bit further out into some of those other detections, we had a third, fourth, and fifth detection that occurred in LaSalle County and Lea County, New Mexico, and lastly, Gillespie County, Texas.
Smith: Nelson said the first confirmed cases in the U.S. did trigger restrictions from U.S. trading partners, though actions remains limited for now.
Nelson: There's a little bit of unpredictability tied to what they may or may not do. No major trade impacts are really expected. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced on Friday that it will temporarily restrict livestock from entering Canada from affected parts of the United States.
Smith: Nelson says that pushing the screwworm back to South America is possible, but will require work from farmers and animal health officials.
Nelson: So, I think the biggest need right here is for more flies. Sterile fly technique is the best weapon we have against them. Other things we need to think about here is vigilant biosecurity on the farm level. It's really important for farmers to get eyes on their animals as frequently as possible, to establish a working relationship with their veterinarian.
Smith: For more information, go to the Market Intel page at fb.org. Chad Smith, Washington.
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