{"id":3701,"date":"2026-06-12T04:06:26","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T04:06:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=3701"},"modified":"2026-06-12T04:06:26","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T04:06:26","slug":"screwworm-scare-leads-florida-to-block-shelter-pets-from-texas-new-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=3701","title":{"rendered":"Screwworm scare leads Florida to block shelter pets from Texas, New Mexico"},"content":{"rendered":"
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TALLAHASSEE \u2014 To prevent the New World Screwworm from infesting Florida, the state is blocking rescue dogs and cats coming from Texas and New Mexico.<\/p>\n

Read more Miami Dolphins close out spring OTAs | PHOTOS<\/a><\/p>\n

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services issued an emergency rule on Wednesday prohibiting the importation of shelter and rescue dogs and cats from states with confirmed screwworm detections.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will respond based on facts, not fear,\u201d Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson said in a released statement. \u201cBut we will also continue to be the most aggressive state in the nation when it comes to protecting our livestock, pets, wildlife, people and agricultural economy from this threat.\u201d<\/p>\n

The screwworm is a fly that lays its eggs in body openings and feeds on live animals, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. It was eradicated from the U.S. in 1966, except for a small outbreak in the Florida Keys in 2017.<\/p>\n

Simpson\u2019s agency has ramped up protections to prevent the screwworm from making its way to Florida, with some of the strictest intrastate import rules in the country, going further than precautions taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.<\/p>\n

The state created protocols to protect Florida\u2019s cattle herds from the parasitic fly one day after it was found in Texas and enacted a temporary moratorium on the importation of warm-blooded animals from affected areas through Friday.<\/p>\n

As of Wednesday, there have been seven cases of screwworm detected in the United States in Texas and New Mexico, according to a USDA dashboard.<\/p>\n

Out of those seven cases, six were in Texas \u2014 five were cattle and one was a goat. In New Mexico, officials detected screwworm in a dog in Lea County.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

It\u2019s what led Florida to enact the moratorium of importing shelter and rescue dogs and cats to Florida, said Dr. Mike Short, the state veterinarian and the director of the division of animal industry at FDACS.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a really large agriculture industry in Florida, and we also have a climate that\u2019s very conducive to New World screwworm, so we want to do everything we can do to keep it out,\u201d Short said.<\/p>\n

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has been critical of the USDA\u2019s response to the screwworm, calling it \u201cslow, bureaucratic and incomplete.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a statement, Miller called the screwworm \u201cone of the most destructive livestock and wildlife pests in history.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Pictures: Fairy doors return to Leu Gardens<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

But in an interview with CNBC this week, Brooke Rollins, secretary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, downplayed the situation and called the screwworm \u201ca little pest.\u201d<\/p>\n

Short, though, remembers the outbreak in the Keys among domestic animals and Key deer.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can be fairly dramatic if you don\u2019t catch the infestations quickly. If you do, they are certainly treatable,\u201d Short said. \u201cBut if the infestation goes on for days or a week or two, it can be pretty devastating.\u201d<\/p>\n

The screwworm does not affect food safety and cannot spread through meat, poultry or dairy products, according to the USDA.<\/p>\n

But the parasite can devastate meat production, and its arrival comes as U.S. cattle numbers are at historic lows.<\/p>\n

Florida had 1.5 million head of cattle in 2022, according to the Census on Agriculture, and the state\u2019s cattle ranching and dairy industry brought in over $2 billion in sales that year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Florida Department of Agriculture will be aggressive and make decisions that embrace common sense,\u201d Simpson told the News Service of Florida. \u201cFarmers are the best partners when it comes to protecting our food supply.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since 2022, the parasitic fly has slowly crept north through the Panama-Colombia border, making its way through Central America and Mexico. Last August, the federal government confirmed the first human case of screwworm in decades in a traveler-associated case in Maryland, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.<\/p>\n

To report a suspected screwworm case, residents can contact FDACS at 850-410-0900 during business hours or 1-800-342-5869 after hours, email RAD@FDACS.gov, or visit FDACS.gov\/NWS for additional information and reporting resources.<\/p>\n

To report sick or injured wildlife, including a suspected screwworm infestation, call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at 1-888-404-3922 or email WildlifeHealthTeam@MyFWC.com.<\/p>\n

Read more Christian Pulisic is ready to shoulder the burden of US hopes in home World Cup opener vs Paraguay<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Florida is blocking rescue dogs and cats coming from Texas and New Mexico, in an effort to prevent the New World Screwworm from entering the state.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3700,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3701","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nScrewworm scare leads Florida to block shelter pets from Texas, New Mexico - Orlando Relocation Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=3701\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Screwworm scare leads Florida to block shelter pets from Texas, New Mexico - 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