AUSTIN — Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller today responded to Florida’s emergency rule restricting the import of warm-blooded animals from South Texas counties the state has labeled “high risk” due to their proximity to recent New World screwworm detections in Mexico within 125 miles of the U.S. border.
The following statement may be attributed to Commissioner Miller:
“Florida’s move is understandable. With the growing threat of New World screwworm, and as ground zero of America’s last outbreak a decade ago, they’re acting to protect their state. This isn’t a distant risk, and their heightened biosecurity makes that clear.
The impacts of New World screwworm are already here. The extended halt on cattle movement from Mexico alone is straining supply chains, cutting into Texas meatpacking capacity, and pushing prices higher for families nationwide. And let’s be clear; this threat isn’t going away anytime soon.
