Texas Renews New World Screwworm Disaster Proclamation: Statewide Disaster Declaration Continues as Threat Moves North
Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a proclamation in November renewing the state's disaster proclamation for the New World screwworm. The proclamation was issued in Austin, the state capital in Travis County, and renews the governor's original screwworm disaster proclamation of June 5, 2026, under Section 418.014 of the Texas Government Code.
The proclamation states that the New World screwworm continues to spread northward through Mexico and poses an ongoing threat to the Texas livestock industry. Screwworm larvae infest the wounds of livestock, and an incursion would cause serious losses to the state's cattle sector. On that basis, the disaster declaration remains in effect for all Texas counties.
Under the renewal, all orders and authorizations in the original proclamation continue in force, allowing state agencies to keep deploying resources for surveillance, quarantine readiness and prevention under the disaster declaration. The proclamation was attested by Deputy Secretary of State Robert Howden.
Texas is one of the largest cattle-producing states in the nation, and its border region with Mexico is the front line against the screwworm's northward spread. State agriculture and animal health agencies have been conducting monitoring and outreach on the pest, and the renewal keeps the emergency authorities in place beyond November.
(Source: Office of the Governor of Texas)
Source: Office of the Governor of Texas
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 德克萨斯州议会大厦，奥斯汀（资料图）。CC BY 3.0，LoneStarMike 摄，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / The Texas State Capitol in Austin (file photo). CC BY 3.0, by LoneStarMike, via Wikimedia Commons.
