Date: 1990-02-27
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. perhaps the name screwworm might entice someone to ask what this program is and what it is we do. I think probably a short explanation is in order. The screwworm eradication program is perhaps the most successful program ever ventured into in a scientific way by the Federal Government of the United States. It is cost effective. and it exercised the first peaceful use of radiation in the world in the field of agriculture. This is one of those programs where a certain periodical might point their finger at Congress. but. yes. this program has been so successful. The screwworm is a fly. It is a pest which had inhabited most of the Southwestern United States. As an example. there were about 16 million recorded cases in Texas in 1 year of screwworm infestation. then it came down to 2 or 3 by the middle seventiesnow its usually zero. What happens is that if there is any open wound. the fly lays its eggs in the open wound. It caused extensive damage to the cattle industry. to wildlife. and even to humans. I might mention that during the recent Panama exercise. one of our soldiers wounded there was found to have larvae of the screwworm fly. It was one of the momentous occasions of history when scientists. Drs. Knipling and Bushland. one with the use of radiation. the other with the procreation of the fly. began their efforts to combat the screwworm. Yes. I say to this periodical that often points a finger at us. it started with research on the sexual capacities of a fly. And It has saved untold millions of dollars and problems throughout the United States. We have eradicated the fly from the United States. We have it almost out of Mexico. We are now going into Central America. What happens is you grow from the eggs of the fly the pupa. which is the worm. Then the male fly by radiation is sterilized. Then they are set loose in a specific geographic area. Since it has been sterilized. it cannot reproduce. Therefore. eventually you eradicate the fly from a specific area. I annually recommend Drs. Knipling and Bushland for the Nobel Peace Prize. Certainly there are no more meritorious actions in the useful exploitation of radiation than the peaceful purpose of eradicating this pest that affects livestock and humans. I think it is noteworthy that these two gentleman are still alive. I visit with them periodically. The small laboratory outside of Kerrville. TX. where they initiated their studies is now named after them. the KniplingBushland Research Laboratory. Mr. Speaker. that is a brief history of where this problem comes from. What we are trying to do here in this legislation is allow flies to be sold to other countries. We now find this is limited to the Western Hemisphere. What this legislation does is allow the Department of Agriculture. APHIS. the agency which handles this program. to sell the flies anywhere in the world at a price. The income from the sale of the flies will come back to the program so it can be regenerated into the program. I cannot say enough about the peaceful use of radiation. I would rather that we had done more of that than put it in missiles and rockets. It has been very successful. The plant is low in capacity at this point. but it can fulfill the capacity needed. I might mention that we have a similar problem with the medfly. the Mediterranean fruitfly. that also causes tremendous damage to the fruit and vegetable industry. What this legislation does is allow the Department of Agriculture to sell the sterile screwworm fly to whoever may need them in their particular country for a price to be directed back into the program. Mr. Speaker. this bill authorizes the U.S. Department of Agriculture [USDA]. either independently or in cooperation with other countries or international organizations or associations. to produce and sell sterile screwworm flies to other countries or international organizations. As those familiar With the livestock industry know. the screwworm fly is a fleshfeeding parasite that attacks warmblooded animals and humans. The pest can be a serious threat to livestock production and even human health wherever it becomes established. Fortunately. through an intensive cooperative effort by the Federal Government and U.S. livestock producers. the screwworm was declared eradicated from the United States by 1982. Without our vigilance. the USDA estimates the screwworm could today be causing 350 million dollars worth of damage to our domestic livestock industry. We have now moved the screwworm battleground south of the United States border. in Mexico and several Central American nations. Part of the aggressive eradication program south of the border involves a form of biological pest controlthe release of sterile screwworm flies which mate with the existing screwworm flies. but product no offspring. Consequently. the population of flies diminishes and eventually disappears altogether. The only facility in the world which currently produces sterile screwworm flies is operated by the joint United StatesMexico Commission on Screwworm Eradication based in Tuxtla Gutierrez. Mexico. This facility was founded in 1976 and is operated jointly by the USDA and Mexicos Secretariat of Agriculture. The Secretary of Agriculture has informed Congress that screwworms were found in North Africa last year. the first such detection of the pest outside the Western Hemisphere. The spread of screwworms to the African Continent is of great concern because of its potential impact on animal disease control efforts and public health. H.R. 4010 would provide the necessary authority for the USDA. or the USDA working through the Commission. to sell sterile flies to the Food and Agricultural Organization [FAO] of the United Nations to help combat the pest in North Africa. To ensure U.S. taxpayers are hot further burdened by the costs associated with eradicating the screwworm. this bill directs that the proceeds attributable to the United States of any sale of sterile screwworms be deposited in the U.S. Treasury and used to offset the expenses of operating the sterile screwwormrearing facility. Mr. Speaker. there is an element of urgency to the need for action on this bill. In order to most- effectively combat the screwworm infestation in North Africa. the FAO should act rapidly before the dry season ends. Previous research in Texas and Mexico has shown that eradication efforts are more successful during the dry season than during the more wet and humid season. H.R. 4010 would allow FAO eradication efforts to be successfully conducted and protect the people and food supply of the African Continent. As the custodians of technology to combat this pest and as Americans deeply concerned about the quality of life throughout the world. I urge my colleagues to support this measure.