STOP Screwworms Act
The STOP Screwworms Act would require the Secretary of Agriculture to build one or more modular New World screwworm fly rearing facilities within 180 days of enactment. These facilities would rear sterile New World screwworm flies and have the capacity to disperse them to areas at risk of infestation, with the aim of preventing outbreaks through the sterile insect technique. The bill amends the Animal Health Protection Act to add a new section creating and funding these rearing facilities, defines eligible areas based on risk and suitability for releasing sterile flies, and requires annual reporting to Congress (and a public website) on threats and the program’s effectiveness. It authorizes $300 million in appropriations for this purpose, available until expended. In short, the bill intends to establish a federally funded program to mass-produce sterile screwworm flies and release them in high-risk areas to block the spread and establishment of screwworm populations in the United States.
Key Points
- 1Creation of New World screwworm fly rearing facilities: The Secretary must begin construction of 1 or more modular facilities within 180 days, capable of rearing sterile flies and dispersing them to risk areas.
- 2Eligible areas: Areas within states that are deemed at risk due to migratory patterns of confirmed screwworm detections and that are suitable for receiving sterile flies.
- 3Reporting and transparency: The Secretary must report to the House Committee on Agriculture and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry within 1 year of enactment and annually thereafter, with the information also posted publicly online.
- 4Funding: The bill authorizes $300 million for this section, to remain available until expended.
- 5Policy purpose: Labeled as the STOP Screwworms Act, it aims to strengthen tactics to obstruct screwworm populations by using reared sterile insects as a control method.