Albuquerque, NM (KKOB) — In the wake of the first confirmed case of a parasitic fly in neighboring Texas on Wednesday, New Mexico officials are calling on federal officials to do more to protect the state’s livestock and wildlife. The screwworm pest is named for the maggot’s behavior of burrowing into flesh and causing serious or fatal wounds in animals. Last year, it advanced northward through Mexico after being mainly contained in Central America for several decades. Rep. Gabe Vasquez says this first American case in La Pryor, Texas, which is about 500 miles from the New Mexico state line, poses “a major risk to cattle operations in New Mexico and if spread, could wreak havoc on domestic beef prices.”
