1. Texas Modifies New World Screwworm Infested Zone [06] in Texas
APHIS Stakeholder Registry
September 4, 2026
The Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) has modified a New World screwworm (NWS) infested zone in Texas, with concurrence from USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). This action comes after state and federal subject matter experts confirmed that portions of the area met requirements outlined in APHIS' New World Screwworm Response Playbook for zone release.
The zone being modified is:
Infested Zone 06
Modifying infested zones removes NWS-related movement requirements for livestock and pets within certain areas. All interstate movement requirements and international export requirements will still apply.
Several infested zones in Texas remain in place, and APHIS continues to work closely with TAHC to evaluate conditions for future zone releases. All Texas animal owners should visit the TAHC website to ensure they have the latest information about the location of infested zones, movement requirements, and zone-specific requirements.
APHIS and TAHC remain committed to supporting continuity of business for producers, and will continue applying science-based surveillance, early detection, and rapid response measures to ensure that areas are released as soon as the criteria have been met.
CBP supports federal response to New World screwworm threat
Border agency helping facilitate timely movement of sterile flies, training frontline personnel and sharing critical information.
Beef Magazine
September 4, 2026
U.S. Customs & Border Protection, in coordination with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other federal partners, is helping to eradicate the New World screwworm (NWS), a serious pest that, left untreated, can cause severe and even deadly harm to livestock, wildlife, pets and, less commonly, people and birds.
"CBP is committed to supporting USDA and our federal, state, local and industry partners in preventing the spread of New World screwworm," said Deputy Executive Director Suzette Kelly of CBP's Agriculture Programs and Trade Liaison, Office of Field Operations. "By helping facilitate the timely movement of sterile flies, training frontline personnel and sharing critical information, CBP is helping protect U.S. agriculture, animal health and the broader economy."
Full text: https://www.beefmagazine.com/policy/cbp-supports-federal-response-to-new-world-screwworm-threat
USDA releases billionth sterile fly in screwworm fight
CNN.com
September 7, 2026
A lot is riding on the shiny green backs of large red-eyed sterile flies that scientists from the United States, Mexico and Panama have been raising.
The US government just released its billionth fly into Texas from a facility that opened in June in Chiapas, Mexico, near the Guatemalan border, and its sister operation in Panama in order to fight a pest that could potentially cause $2.5 billion dollars in damage in the Southwest US alone.
The New World screwworm lays eggs on warm-blooded animals - which can include humans - and its larvae screw themselves into the living flesh, leading to infections and sometimes death. While not considered a food safety issue, it can be a food supply problem.
Full text: https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/07/health/screwworm-billion-flies
3. Portage Co. horse tests positive for deadly Eastern Equine Encephalitis [WI - edited]
By Jamie Rokus
Stevens Point Journal
September 4, 2026
A Portage County horse has tested positive for Eastern Equine Encephalitis, marking Wisconsin's first confirmed equine case of the mosquito-borne disease this year.
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection announced Sept. 4 that a 4-year-old grade mare was infected with EEE, according to a community announcement.
State agriculture officials are urging horse owners to talk with their veterinarians about EEE vaccination. The American Association of Equine Practitioners recommends EEE and West Nile virus vaccines as part of its core vaccination protocol for all horses.
Adult horses that have never been vaccinated require two initial doses followed by annual booster shots.
4. Fox Parvovirus: New Disease Appears on Global Swine Health Radar
The latest global surveillance reports on an unusual "fox parvovirus" found in pigs in Europe and rising ASF cases overseas serve as critical biosecurity warnings for the U.S. pork industry.
By Jennifer Shike
Pork Business
September 4, 2026
What does fox parvovirus in Belgium and African swine fever in Poland have to do with the U.S. pork industry?
"More than you may realize," says Dr. Lisa Becton, DVM and associate director of the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC). Becton sheds insight into the latest Swine Disease Global Surveillance Report and what producers can take away from the latest health updates around the globe.
Fox Parvovirus Confirmed in Pigs in Belgium
A rare parvovirus variant, genetically related to a virus previously identified in fox feces, was detected in pigs in Belgium over the summer. Although it's not a reason to panic, experts say it is something they are continuing to monitor.
The first detection of "fox parvovirus" was reported by Animal Health Care Flanders (DGZ) in late July, following increasing reports of characteristic clinical signs from local veterinarians. The emerging parvovirus variant has been detected with increasing frequency on pig farms in the Netherlands since late 2024.
It is different from the common porcine parvovirus (PPV1), which is primarily associated with reproductive problems in pigs, Becton explains.
The most noticeable sign is unusually bulging eyes. Some pigs may also have crossed eyes (strabismus), red skin, hair loss or poor body condition. Signs have been reported primarily in piglets but can also occur in growing pigs.
Full text: https://www.porkbusiness.com/news/fox-parvovirus-new-disease-appears-global-swine-health-radar
5. Researchers test far-ultraviolet light to prevent bird flu in poultry
By Karn Dhingra, Texas A&M University
Edited by Swati Mestri, reviewed by Andrew Zinin
Phys.org
September 4, 2026
When a strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI, tore through U.S. poultry farms in early 2025, farmers culled tens of millions of birds, and egg prices soared.
The losses highlighted the poultry industry's urgent need for additional tools and methods to limit the virus's spread.
Now, researchers from the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences are preparing to test a potential new line of defense. They will use a form of ultraviolet light called far-UVC to see whether it can kill HPAI without harming birds on poultry farms.
"The current HPAI outbreak began around 2022 and hasn't ended. Avian influenza is still being found in Texas wildlife. It is not considered to be endemic in the U.S. and is classified as a reportable poultry disease," said Morgan Farnell, avian microbiology and immunology professor, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service program leader and associate department head in the Texas A&M Department of Poultry Science.
Farnell and Ziteng "Tim" Xu, Texas A&M AgriLife Research smart technologies in poultry production scientist and assistant professor in the Department of Poultry Science, will lead the third and final phase of a multiyear study starting in February. The study will examine whether far-UVC light can reduce airborne pathogen loads inside commercial poultry houses.
Full text: https://phys.org/news/2026-09-ultraviolet-bird-flu-poultry.html
6. Canada invests $3.1M in swine health surveillance
Funding will support the development of multiplex assay technologies to screen for multiple domestic swine viruses from a single sample.
National Hog Farmer
September 4, 2026
Recognizing that infectious disease is one of the major risks to swine production, the Government of Canada is helping industry further develop the tools needed to safeguard animal health, strengthen sector resilience, and support future growth.
Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Heath MacDonald has announced up to $3,111,486 for the Canadian Pork Council through the AgriAssurance Program - National Industry Association Component to advance the scope and quality of swine health surveillance in Canada.
This funding will support the development, validation and upgrading of multiplex assay technologies, which are comprehensive lab tests that can screen for multiple domestic swine viruses from a single sample. The project also includes implementing a targeted national proficiency program to support consistent testing across veterinary labs in Canada and establishing a secure surveillance database to track swine viruses.
7. First DDT now the flu: Peregrine falcons in San Francisco Bay area hit hard by H5N1 variant
Vet Candy
September 3, 2026
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) featured prominently in the news during 2020 as it took the lives of millions of birds across the globe. While the worst seems to be behind us, population-level effects are just now emerging. A new study published in the Journal of Raptor Research, titled "Rapid Decline of Nesting Peregrine Falcons in the San Francisco Bay Region of California Synchronous with an Outbreak of H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza," reports an alarming decrease in the number of occupied territories for a population of Peregrine Falcons (Falco peregrinus) that has maintained a longstanding presence in coastal California. As top predators, peregrines show warning signs when the health of their food web is jeopardized. They indicated the threat of DDT to wildlife in the 1960's, and they are once again sounding the alarm to those who know where to look.
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) is an infectious disease that typically remains at low levels in wild bird populations. However, in 2020, the variant H5N1 emerged and ran amuck in what is now considered one of the most severe disease outbreaks to affect large animal populations ever recorded. Infections were documented in 400 bird species and at least 50 mammal species that year. Waterbirds are particularly susceptible to becoming carriers of HPAI, so predators and scavengers that feed on them are at a higher risk of exposure. Peregrines are master bird hunters and therefore primed to encounter this bird-born illness. However, it can be challenging to verify cause-of-death for raptors because of their low densities and the challenge of finding their carcasses, so raptor biologists must employ other tools to investigate population-level responses.
Lead author on the study Zeka Glucs, Director or the Predatory Bird Research Group at the University of California Santa Cruz, worked with a team of researchers to compare the presence of Peregrine Falcons on known territories in the Bay Area before and after the H5N1 outbreak, which was first detected in the state in 2022. They accessed a long-term dataset from 2000-2025 to examine trends in peregrine presence, underscoring the importance of maintaining research that spans decades.