U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins is rolling out a new funding push aimed at keeping New World screwworm from moving north toward the U.S. livestock sector.
This week, Rollins announced the launch of the New World Screwworm Grand Challenge, a U.S. Department of Agriculture-led effort designed to accelerate tools and strategies to fight the pest — particularly by strengthening detection, response, and sterile-fly capabilities in Mexico and Central America.
“This is a strategic investment in America’s farmers and ranchers and is an important action to ensure the safety and future success of our food supply, which is essential to our national security,” said Secretary Brooke Rollins. “These are the kinds of innovations that will help us stay ahead of this pest and protect our food supply and our economy, protecting the way of life of our ranchers and go towards rebuilding our cattle herd to lower consumer prices on grocery store shelves. We know we have tried-and-true tools and methods to defeat this pest, but we must constantly look for new and better methods and innovate our way to success. Together, through science, innovation, and collaboration, we can ensure we’re utilizing the latest tools and technology to combat NWS in Mexico and Central America and keep it out of the United States.”
Up to $100 million available
Through the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the department plans to make up to $100 million available for projects that improve sterile NWS fly production, boost preparedness, and strengthen response capacity — all with an eye toward protecting U.S. animal health, agriculture, and trade.
- Priority areas USDA wants to fund
- APHIS says proposals should support one or more of the following goals:
- enhance sterile NWS fly production
- develop novel NWS traps and lures
- develop and improve understanding of NWS therapeutics/treatments for animals (to treat, prevent, or control NWS)
- develop other tools to bolster preparedness or response
How to apply
The notice of funding opportunity and application details are posted on the NWS Grand Challenge webpage. Applicants can also find the listing on ezFedGrants or Grants.gov by searching USDA-APHIS-10025-OA000000-26-0001.
Proposals are due Feb. 23, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET. USDA notes that applicants should be registered in the federal System for Award Management (SAM) prior to submitting.
More background and updates on NWS are available at screwworm.gov, including an option to sign up for email alerts.
