The California Department of Food and Agriculture’s (CDFA) Office of Pesticide Consultation & Analysis awarded $507,421 in funding for a project to help combat New World screwworm (NWS).
The three-year project, led by Dr. Amy Murillo, will establish a framework for rapid detection and response to any screwworm threat. The project will form a working group and surveillance network for early NWS detection, develop Integrated Pest Management (IPM) plans for prevention and control, and initiate a training program to help veterinarians and producers recognize and respond to infestations.
“The program supports research to refine and optimize existing IPM strategies to improve their effectiveness, and it explores additional control measures against established invasive agricultural pests that drive extensive pesticide use but remain uncontrolled due to developed pesticide resistance,” the department said.
