06/19/2026
EAT BEEF. Because screw worms look like pasta.
Appreciate PJ Budler’s perspective here. It’s manageable. Let’s not unnecessarily create consumer concern in the beef industry.
New World Screwworm
By PJ Budler
The inevitable event of New World Screwworm crossing into the US via our southern border has brought about a frenzy of opinions from overnight experts.
We were never exposed to screwworm on our family farm in South Africa. However, a lot of my bull customers who were located in higher-rainfall and more humid areas dealt with the screwworm threat routinely.
Below are some products that were used for prevention and treatment by large commercial beef producers.
- Pyrethroid poured onto navel and horn buds prevents flies from laying eggs
- Short-acting injectable like Iverject Metabolic has added advantages
- Ivermectin is long acting (90 days) and administered at 1ml/110 lb
- Tropically adapted genotypes like PCC’s Heat-Tolerant cattle have an added advantage
Perhaps the way in which the USDA used scare tactics by shutting down the border to Mexican imports created a negative impact in the minds of beef consumers and producers – to the point that consumers are worried about getting screwworm by eating beef.
Several years ago, NCBA ran a similar scare campaign claiming to want to protect consumers by banning beef from Paraguay due to potential Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD). FMD cannot affect the health of consumers in any way.
I hope none of this misinformation is deliberate. On both accounts, it was good to put protocols in place by the USDA. However, exaggerating these threats is not good for consumer confidence.
Yes, screwworm needs to be eradicated, and protocols need to be put in place. No, it’s not anywhere near the biggest challenge livestock producers face. Trichomoniasis, Vibriosis, Brucellosis, IBR, and BVD are the real devils. Perhaps that’s where the real energy needs to be spent.
