Florida Restricts Animal Imports Through June 10 After Texas Screwworm Case Threatens $2 Billion Livestock Industry
Updated
Updated · CBS New York · Jun 7
Florida Restricts Animal Imports Through June 10 After Texas Screwworm Case Threatens $2 Billion Livestock Industry
3 articles · Updated · CBS New York · Jun 7
Summary
Florida on Friday barred warm-blooded animals from screwworm-infested zones through June 10 and tightened entry rules after the parasite was confirmed in a Texas calf.
After June 10, incoming animals from affected areas must be certified by Florida officials at least two days before arrival and inspected by a veterinarian within five days of transport.
High-risk shipments lacking veterinary certificates will be quarantined and suppliers fined, while animals from infested zones will be turned away at the state border.
The New World screwworm—eradicated in the U.S. in 1966 but seen in the Florida Keys in 2017—feeds on living tissue and has moved north through Central America and Mexico.
Florida's cattle and dairy sectors generated more than $2 billion in 2022, and ranchers say they are monitoring herds closely even as officials stress the parasite is not a food-safety risk.