HR3806-119

What This Bill Does

The New World Screwworm Preparedness Act of 2025 requires the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, to study how prepared the United States is to prevent and respond to New World screwworm. The bill responds to findings that the parasite can injure or kill livestock and wildlife, that the United States eradicated it in the 1960s using sterile insect techniques, and that recent outbreaks and detections in nearby countries, especially Mexico, raise the risk of reintroduction.

The study must evaluate the current threat, including migratory patterns, detections in countries bordering the United States, potential introduction pathways, livestock industry impacts, and domestic wildlife impacts. It must also review U.S. capacity to produce and deploy sterile screwworm flies, including existing facilities, possible modular rearing facilities in the United States, and logistics for dispersing sterile flies. The study must assess surveillance and detection systems, border inspection protocols for live animals, diagnostic and laboratory capacity, public and private reporting systems, emergency response plans, animal movement restrictions, public outreach, research and development needs, and international cooperation.

Who Benefits and How

Livestock producers, cattle operations, swine operations, and other susceptible-animal industries benefit from better federal planning for detecting, containing, and eradicating New World screwworm before it causes large economic losses. Wildlife management agencies and public health officials benefit from a clearer assessment of ecological and public health risks. Veterinary professionals, entomologists, epidemiologists, and animal health experts benefit from formal consultation and identification of research gaps.

Who Bears the Burden and How

USDA APHIS bears the main workload because it must complete the comprehensive study within 90 days, consult with livestock producers, wildlife agencies, veterinarians, scientific experts, and state and local agricultural and public health officials, then submit and publish a report within six months. State and local agricultural officials, public health officials, laboratories, and private reporting participants may spend time supplying information about surveillance, response capacity, and suspected cases.

Key Provisions

• Requires USDA APHIS to study U.S. preparedness and response capabilities for New World screwworm within 90 days.
• Directs analysis of outbreak threats, introduction pathways, livestock industry impacts, and domestic wildlife impacts.
• Requires review of sterile fly production capacity, modular rearing facility options, and sterile fly dispersal logistics.
• Requires evaluation of border inspections, diagnostic laboratories, public and private reporting, emergency response plans, animal movement restrictions, and public outreach.
• Requires identification of research needs for diagnostics, sterile insect techniques, alternative controls, and genetic vulnerabilities.
• Requires assessment of international cooperation with affected countries and recommendations for maintaining biological barriers.
• Requires consultation with producers, wildlife managers, veterinarians, scientific experts, and state and local agricultural and public health officials.
• Requires a public report and recommendations to House and Senate agriculture committees within six months.