The first confirmed case of New World Screwworm in the United States in more than 60 years highlights what makes the checkoff system valuable to food producers today.
It is nearly 2,100 miles from Washington state to Zavala County, Texas, where the invasive pest was discovered June 3. The announcement of the 3-week-old calf carrying the insect, caused a ripple of alarm through the livestock industry.
There are a few things to note. First, the beef supply is still safe to eat. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and the World Health Organization all agree beef remains safe and nutritious even with the presence of New World Screwworm (NWS). Consumers can learn more about NWS via this fact sheet.
For beef producers, the speedy availability of information about NWS, how the initial confirmed case is being handled, and what to expect next via a reliable source can be reassuring. Resources for producers are readily available through several methods including a fact sheet, webinar, and other links.
Since the confirmed case in Texas this week, that reliable source for information has been the Washington State Beef Commission, a checkoff-funded office that has turned into a resource hub.
Established as mandatory by a community vote in 1988, the beef checkoff assesses a fee of $1 per animal sold, states also have the option to collect additional fees per head for their commissions or councils as their respective producer communities see fit. The funds collected by any checkoff assessment are earmarked for specific uses by law and include marketing, consumer outreach, public relations, education, industry research, producer communications, and new product development.
There are also legal limitations imposed on how checkoff dollars are spent. Checkoff funds cannot be used to lobby or to influence government policy.
The potential widespread arrival of NWS in the United States poses a significant challenge for our national cattle herd. The last time NWS was present in the U.S., livestock shipping was less fluid and dynamic than it is now, consumer demand for beef was less, and our national herd was larger in both per head size and when compared to the number of consumers in the marketplace. Today, livestock raisers are faced with shipping that takes their cattle all over the country, and potentially the world, few numbers of cattle in total, and higher consumer demand for beef.
The first warnings about NWS making its way north from South America began in 2023. Despite the name, the invasive pest is a fly that lays its eggs in living tissue, particularly open wounds or mucosal areas. When the larvae hatch, they feed on the tissue around them, severely injuring, and potentially killing, their animal host.
Having a single source for information that is readily accessible is crucial in times of animal disease outbreak. Some who oppose the beef checkoff say it violates individual liberties by being mandatory, but it was not a government-imposed fee but, rather, a fee imposed by a vote of producers. And, specifically in times of crisis, having a clearinghouse to provide resources for everything from pathways for treatment to contact phone numbers seems worth the investment.
At a conference in 2023, the general comment was not “if” NWS would arrive in the U.S. but “when.” Now that “when” has is upon us, it is time for debates around policy and the checkoff to take a back seat to the more important topics of the day, namely, keeping our cattle herd safe and our beef supply available.
