Rollins called screwworm a ‘little pest.’ Last year, she said ‘terrifying’

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told CNBC on Monday that the New World screwworm is a “little pest.” He has described the parasite as “terrible” in the past.

The inconsistency in messaging before and after the flesh-eating pest was identified in the U.S. offers a window into how Rollins is managing the screwworm threat that has now reached inside the border. This highlights how the administration is racing to ease fears that the parasite could further drive up beef prices amid rising inflation.

Since the screwworm was detected in Texas last week, Rollins has appeared on air to reassure the U.S. public that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is ahead of the infestation and that it does not pose a risk to the food system. He also blamed the Biden administration for the spread, arguing that lax immigration enforcement at the southern border helped the parasite advance.

“The food supply is not at risk. It’s not a virus, it’s not a disease, it’s just a small pest, like a larva that lands on a calf wound, and it can be treated,” he said on CNBC on Monday. “Under the last administration, that’s when the mass movement around border security, the open border policy, the cartels, etc., started to make its way back toward America.”

But last September, Rollins was more outspoken about the threat posed by the screwworm. Appeared on Fox News. He was discussing the spread of the screwworm from Central America northward into the United States.

“It’s truly appalling at a time when our beef supply is at the lowest level in the last 75 years … that’s why prices are so high, it could even take us to another phase of making real concessions for Americans to get good beef at a good price,” he said. “We have a plan, we’re working on it.”

And at a Senate hearing in May 2025, Rollins said screwworm is a disease. “big threat” this would “devastate our cattle industry in this country.”

On Wednesday, Rollins doubled down on blaming the Biden administration when he appeared at another Senate hearing, saying “we know this development is a serious threat, but it did not catch us off guard.”

Meanwhile, Democrats are jumping on Rollins and President Donald Trump on the screwworm outbreak.

“Under Donald Trump and Brooke Rollins, farmers and ranchers are suffering and consumers are grappling with record high prices,” said Kendall Witmer, a spokeswoman for the Democratic National Committee. “Trump’s careless and harmful cuts and his administration’s incompetence have left the US food supply vulnerable to outbreaks and risked further increases in already high beef prices.”

Screwworm was detected in the USA at a time when inflation was on the rise. Inflation rose 4.2% year-over-year in May, reaching a three-year high, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday.

The parasite is the larva of a fly that lays its eggs in open animal wounds. The larvae feed on meat and can be quite harmful or fatal to cattle. Once detected, animal movement and supply may be restricted in affected areas. Screwworm infestation can be treated if caught early enough and is not a contagious disease that can be transmitted to meat.

Because the U.S. cattle herd is already low, the pest threatens to drive up beef costs even further.

Dallas Fed, a can reportIf an outbreak the size of the 1972 infestation, which had the most screwworm cases in the United States, occurred, it could cause about $3 billion in damage, he said.

“Screwworm can sicken or kill cattle, triggering famine and high beef prices. This means equilibrium prices may fall in the short term, but rise in the medium and long term,” the report said.

As of Wednesday, six screwworm cases were detected in Texas and New Mexico in the United States. The USDA is racing to control the spread by releasing swarms of sterile flies that will mate with female screwworm flies and produce sterile eggs. The agency also implements quarantine zones, increased trapping, surveillance and outreach.

So far, it’s too early to tell whether the screwworm will become a full-blown infestation or whether the USDA will be able to defeat it. Experts say the right protocols are in place to contain it, but urge people to report any cases they may see in animals.

“We hope to have a controlled infestation where we control all the animals in the area, provide treatment to those that need it, and release the vicious flies to eliminate the small population that we hope is in that area,” said Phillip Kaufman, professor and chair of the department of entomology at Texas A&M University. “What we don’t want is people not reporting; the fly will continue to multiply and grow in numbers and then it will become a much larger infestation and become more challenging.”

While Rollins’ response drew some pushback from Republicans, including Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, he maintains support from key Republicans.

“I greatly appreciate the work under Secretary Rollins’ leadership,” said House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pa. “We’re going to get ahead of this thing, we’re going to eliminate it, the sooner the better.”

Correction: This story has been revised to reflect that Phillip Kaufman is chair of the entomology department at Texas A&M University. In a previous version, his name was misspelled.