(NAFB.com) – As the threat posed by the New World screwworm rises, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association joined its state affiliates in urging Congress to pass the “Stop Screwworms Act.” The legislation would fund a new sterile fly facility in the U.S. that would help protect both livestock and human health from the New World screwworm. Under the sterile insect eradication technique, millions of sterile flies are released into the environment where they breed with wild flies, ultimately creating no new offspring. “To protect American agriculture, NCBA strongly supports the creation of a new sterile fly facility within the U.S.,” said NCBA Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane. Due to the New World screwworm’s continued push north through Mexico, the urgency to create a new sterile fly facility in the U.S. has increased dramatically. NCBA also supported the USDA’s recent decision to close the southern border to Mexican livestock shipments.