New Gene-Edited Screwworm Swarms Set To Eradicate Livestock Pest By 2030, Saving Billions In Agriculture Losses
A revolutionary pilot program in the Florida Keys has successfully deployed a genetically modified strain of the New World screwworm, engineered to produce only sterile male offspring. By 2027, the USDA predicts the complete elimination of this flesh-eating parasite from North America, a feat that will prevent an estimated $2.3 billion in annual livestock and wildlife damages and end the nightmare of myiasis in cattle and pets within a decade.