Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller is locked in a heated debate with the Trump administration over how to combat a parasitic pest spreading north from Mexico that could threaten the state’s $15 billion livestock industry if it crosses the border.
In an interview this week with a Nashville-based rural television station, Miller expressed his disappointment that the U.S. Department of Agriculture hasn’t used a synthetic bait he promoted to control the New World spiral fly, a species of fly that attacks warm-blooded animals and was recently discovered less than 100 miles from the border.
”I haven’t been able to get support from the USDA for using bait to kill the larvae,” Miller told RFD. “If we deployed bait, we could completely eradicate the larvae in Mexico within 90 days, but for some reason they’re very reluctant to do that.”
On Tuesday, the USDA responded that the elected agriculture commissioner “brazenly ignored a proven strategy for controlling [the New World spiral fly] and instead resorted to clickbait-style propaganda.”
The statement was initially reported by RFD-TV and later shared with the Texas Tribune by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In the statement, a spokesperson said the agency installed and tested Miller’s “infamous traps” and found them “ineffective.”
A department spokesperson stated, “Over the course of a month, USDA traps in Panama caught thousands of New World spiral-wing flies, while Commissioner Miller’s traps caught only one. When informed of the ineffectiveness of his traps, Commissioner Miller even suggested that USDA staff ‘black out’ the traps, but USDA rejected the suggestion.”
The spokesperson added: “USDA looks forward to working with all partners as they seek real solutions to address the National Weather Service’s challenges.”
In response to the USDA’s announcement, Miller expressed appreciation for the agency’s “historic efforts” to combat the New World spiral fly.
He said: “We are all on the same team and I look forward to continuing to work with everyone to nip this threat in the bud.”
Since August, Miller has been urging state and federal agencies to use a synthetic bait he calls TDA Swormlure, which he says was developed by his biosecurity team.
”This new bait, called TDA Swormlure, marks a significant advance in protecting Texas livestock from the threat posed by New World spiral flies,” Miller said in a press release in August. “Initial feedback is encouraging, and we expect this trap to outperform any other product currently on the market.”
”I’ve been told it’s bad for the environment because it kills beneficial insects,” Miller said. “Beneficial insects? You mean beneficial insects like fire ants? I don’t know what beneficial insects are. I don’t know if they’re afraid to kill houseflies or house flies, but I’m willing to kill blowflies.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a series of measures aimed at preventing these flies from entering the United States and infecting cattle. In June, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rawlings announced a plan to combat the threat of this parasitic insect, which included an $8.5 million investment in a sterile fly dissemination facility at Moore Air Force Base in Edinburgh. In August, the USDA announced a $750 million investment in the Edinburgh facility, which will produce approximately 300 million sterile spiral flies per week.
The purpose of mating with sterile female flies is to produce eggs that cannot survive, ultimately leading to the extinction of the population.
Miller was reportedly one of Rollins’s nominees to head the USDA. He made numerous public statements and press releases discussing the state’s efforts to combat the New World spiral fly, claiming that the Texas Department of Agriculture is a “pioneer” in collaborating with various parties to combat the fly.
In June, Governor Greg Abbott directed the Texas Animal Health Commission and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to create the Texas New World Spiny-Wheeled Fly Response Team to coordinate efforts and share information to prevent the spread of the pest.
In a letter to agency heads in June, Abbott said, “The task force’s mission is clear: to lead Texas’ efforts to prevent and respond to the pandemic and ensure that Texas remains informed, prepared, and coordinated in preventing the re-emergence of this devastating parasite.”
After RFD-TV published the USDA statement, Texas agricultural organizations, including the Texas Farm Bureau and the Texas and Southwest Cattlemen’s Association, immediately took to social media to express their support for the federal agency over Miller.
”The most effective way to eradicate spiral fly is by breeding sterile flies, not by using traps and baits,” the Texas and Southwest Cattlemen’s Association wrote on X.com. “TSCRA stands with the Trump administration, Secretary Rollins, and the USDA. We cannot allow unproven methods to distract us.”
Disclaimer: The Texas Farm Bureau, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and the Texas and Southwest Cattlemen’s Association are sponsors of the Texas Tribune. The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization funded in part by contributions from members, foundations, and corporate sponsors. Sponsors do not contribute to the Tribune’s news content. A full list of sponsors can be found here.
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Kate McKee is an Austin-based investigative journalist. She joined the Tribune in October 2020 as a reporter specializing in higher education. She has been a three-time finalist for the Association of Education Journalists’ award… More articles by Kate McKee
Berenice Garcia is a regional correspondent covering the Rio Grande Valley. She currently works for the Tribune and is a member of the Reporting for America project. Previously, she covered local government, crime, health care, and more. More articles by Berenice Garcia
Post time: Mar-17-2026