Secretary Rollins announces $25 million for Arizona sterile fly dispersal facility

Federal and state agriculture officials gathered in Douglas on Wednesday to announce enhanced safety protocols and a $25 million federal investment aimed at protecting American cattle from a destructive livestock parasite.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins visited the livestock inspection facilities at the Douglas Port of Entry alongside Arizona Reps. Juan Ciscomani, Andy Biggs and Eli Crane, as well as Arizona Director of Agriculture Paul Brierley.

During the visit, Rollins outlined preparedness measures ahead of the port’s planned reopening to livestock trade on Aug. 24. She also announced that the USDA will invest $25 million to build a new sterile fly dispersal facility in Arizona to bolster long-term defense against the New World screwworm (NWS).

“Protecting American agriculture begins with protecting our borders and ensuring we have the strongest animal health safeguards anywhere in the world,” Rollins said in a release. “The Douglas Port of Entry will reopen only because USDA has implemented one of the most rigorous livestock inspection protocols in history, giving us confidence we can safely resume this critical trade while ensuring cattle crossing the border are free from New World screwworm.”

Rollins added that the investment supports a broader strategy to push the pest back into Mexico.

Strict protocols set for border crossings

Under a phased reopening plan, animals crossing into the U.S. at Douglas will undergo multiple veterinary inspections, including evaluations by USDA veterinarians before entry. Any animal failing to meet import criteria will be turned away, and any detection of NWS will immediately pause livestock imports at the facility.

Douglas was selected as the first port to reopen because the neighboring state of Sonora maintains one of Mexico’s strongest animal health systems and represents the lowest risk for NWS, officials said. Depending on the success of the Douglas reopening and ongoing risk assessments, the USDA will consider reopening ports in Santa Teresa and Columbus, New Mexico.

State and federal personnel have maintained trapping operations near Douglas over the past year, testing nearly 1,000 flies with zero confirmed cases of NWS.

Arizona selected for new sterile fly facility

The proposed $25 million facility in Arizona will join existing sterile fly operations in Texas, Mexico, and Panama to quicken response times to potential pest threats along the Southwest border.

Ciscomani (AZ-06), who noted this was Rollins’ second trip to Arizona in recent months, praised the department’s responsiveness to local producers.

“Local agriculture leaders and I have been fighting to deliver this sterile fly dispersal facility because Arizona’s livestock industry cannot afford to wait on the New World screwworm threat,” Ciscomani said. “This $25 million investment is the direct result of that work, and I’m grateful to Secretary Rollins for listening to Arizona’s producers and delivering on it.”

The USDA is collaborating with the Arizona Department of Agriculture and local officials to select a site and draft an operational plan for the Douglas facility. Depending on the location chosen and existing infrastructure, construction could wrap up within several months.

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