Florida’s livestock industry is a vital component of the state’s agricultural economy, supporting over 1.56 million cattle and 385,000 horses and contributing more than $8.3 billion annually, while also providing employment, food security, and sustainable land management. Despite recent recovery from weather-related losses, the industry faces a renewed threat from the New World screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax), an obligate parasitic fly that causes severe tissue damage, productivity losses, and sometimes death in livestock, wildlife, and, in rare cases, humans. Although eradicated from the United States in the 1960s, the parasite remains endemic in parts of South America and has recently re-emerged in the Caribbean, with past incursions in Florida and recent regional outbreaks underscoring the risk of reintroduction. Florida’s subtropical climate, high livestock densities, and strong trade, tourism, and wildlife connections make the state particularly vulnerable to future infestations, with potentially severe economic, ecological, and public health consequences.
Florida’s livestock industry is a vital component of the state’s agricultural economy, supporting over 1.56 million cattle and 385,000 horses and contributing more than $8.3 billion annually, while also providing employment, food security, and sustainable land management. Despite recent recovery from weather-related losses, the industry faces a renewed threat from the New World screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax), an obligate parasitic fly that causes severe tissue damage, productivity losses, and sometimes death in livestock, wildlife, and, in rare cases, humans. Although eradicated from the United States in the 1960s, the parasite remains endemic in parts of South America and has recently re-emerged in the Caribbean, with past incursions in Florida and recent regional outbreaks underscoring the risk of reintroduction. Florida’s subtropical climate, high livestock densities, and strong trade, tourism, and wildlife connections make the state particularly vulnerable to future infestations, with potentially severe economic, ecological, and public health consequences.