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Twelve confirmed cases of New World screwworm in the United States — eleven in Texas and one in New Mexico — are testing an agricultural system already strained by record-high beef prices and the smallest domestic cattle herd in three-quarters of a century.
Department of Agriculture is preparing a campaign exceeding $1 billion to contain the parasitic fly, while economists warn the outbreak could compound a supply shock that markets are only beginning to register.
The political fallout is falling squarely on President Trump and the Republican Party with midterm elections drawing closer. A Supply Shock Layered on an Existing Shortage The timing is particularly difficult for U.S.
The domestic cattle herd is at its lowest level in 75 years, depressed by prolonged drought, and prices were already near record highs before the first screwworm case was detected in South Texas on June 3.
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