WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Agriculture will allocate up to $100 million to support innovative projects that enhance sterile New World screwworm fly production, strengthen preparedness and response strategies to safeguard U.S. agriculture, animal health, and trade.
According to Texas A&M University Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, the New World screwworm fly larvae feed on living tissue, lay eggs in open wounds and once the larvae hatch, they invade the tissue, causing pain, infection, and, if left untreated, death.
“It’s a very bad parasite to have in livestock, and it can affect humans as well,” said Jennifer Schleining, a clinical professor at Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. “Newborn calves are especially vulnerable, as flies can easily lay eggs in their umbilical area.”
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the USDA confirmed one human case in the Washington, D.C. area last August. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that before Jan. 27, 2026, more than 149,000 NWS cases in animals and more than 1,200 cases in humans were reported in Mexico and Central America.
The USDA is marking this funding as a crucial step to combat NWS and prevent its northward spread.
The priority areas for the USDA’s New World Screwworm Grand Challenge include enhancing sterile NWS fly production, developing novel traps and lures, developing and increasing the understanding of therapeutics/ treatments (i.e. products that could treat, prevent, or control NWS) for animals, and developing other tools to bolster preparedness or response to NWS.
“This is a strategic investment in America’s farmers and ranchers and is an important action to ensure the safety and future success of our food supply, which is essential to our national security,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins.
Eligibility, program requirements, and more details are available at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/ funding/new-world-screwworm- grand-challenge-funding- opportunity.
Applicants must submit proposals by Feb. 23, 2026.