The New World screwworm has just been confirmed in two more animals in Edwards County, Texas. Could this parasite be a major issue for the meat supply? Already, it’s likely to affect prices as safety protocols are put in place.
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The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed at least three infected cattle in Texas a few weeks ago. The beef industry has already been grappling with the smallest cattle herd in 75 years due to prolonged droughts.
That means prices are likely to rise, but it wouldn’t be solely the fault of the screwworm. The droughts could play a role as well. Undernourished cattle do not produce nutritious meat fit for human consumption, so we may be paying more for worse-quality beef in the near future.
“Because a fly’s life cycle is an average of 21 days, it takes multiple reproductive cycles for populations to die off following sterile fly releases,” the USDA said. “As such, we may continue to see cases occur in already affected zones — a sign that our surveillance is working.”
In the short term, beef prices will likely remain stable, but the burden on farmers will likely force them upwards.
“That has a significant not only financial burden but also just a mental toll on those cattle producers,” Colin Woodall, CEO of lobbying group the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, said.
“This will be a burden on cattle producers, but it is one where there’s light at the end of the tunnel,” Todd Thrift, a beef sciences professor at the University of Florida, told CNN.
Screwworm infestations increase labor and medicine costs for ranchers, David Anderson, an agriculture economist at Texas A&M University, told CNN. That means higher prices will be needed to offset those costs.
However, even if an outbreak and subsequent health measures cause an uptick in prices, the changes would most likely be incremental rather than a sudden jump, as with the price of eggs during the bird flu outbreak.
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A slower and more controlled rise in prices will likely not be as noticeable to the general public, which is already burdened by high gasoline prices.
Screwworm doesn’t spread from animal to animal like a virus. The female adult flies lay eggs in fresh wounds or body cavities of warm-blooded animals. Those larvae feed on the hosts and can cause bacterial infections or death.