Sterile fly production and dispersal efforts are critical to an effective New World screwworm eradication program. USDA is investing significantly to renovate existing and construct new facilities in the United States and Mexico to stop the spread of screwworm.
Production Facilities
Pacora, Panama
Current Status: Operational
USDA and Panama’s Ministry of Agriculture Development (MIDA) jointly manage and fund the only NWS sterile fly production facility currently in operation in North America through COPEG. The facility produces and disperses approximately 100 million sterile flies per week.
Metapa, Mexico
Current Status: Operational
USDA invested $21 million to renovate and convert an existing fruit fly facility in Metapa, Mexico. The facility was completed in late June 2026 and is ramping up to the full production capacity of 100 million sterile NWS flies per week.
Moore Air Base, Texas
Current Status: Construction
USDA is partnering with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to build a domestic sterile fly production facility in Southern Texas, with a projected capacity of 300 million sterile flies per week. This will be the only U.S.-based sterile fly production facility and will work in tandem with facilities in Panama and Mexico to help eradicate the pest and protect American agriculture.
Dispersal Facilities
Tuxtla, Mexico
Current Status: Operational
In April 2025, APHIS agreed to partner with SENASICA to construct a permanent sterile fly dispersal facility in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, Mexico. The facility has the capacity to disperse up to 100 million sterile flies per week. Sterile pupae are transported from the COPEG production facility in Panama, hatched into adult flies at the Tuxtla site, and then released into targeted areas across southern Mexico to support screwworm eradication efforts.
Tampico, Mexico
Current Status: Operational
In November 2025, USDA opened a sterile fly dispersal facility in Tampico, Mexico. This facility allows USDA to disperse sterile flies aerially across northeastern Mexico, including in Nuevo Leon.
Moore Air Base, Texas
Current Status: Operational
Construction is complete on a sterile fly dispersal facility at Moore Air Force Base in Edinburg, TX. This facility is capable of dispersing up to 100 million sterile flies per week and expands USDA's ability to disperse sterile flies along the U.S.-Mexico border and into the United States, if necessary.