Inspectors with the Texas Animal Health Commission were spotted on Tuesday inspecting trailers carrying cattle.

The inspection, off Highway 281 south of Falfurrias, looked for signs of the screwworm parasite on the animals heading north.

Inspector Eli Benavidez also looked for signs of foot and mouth disease and cattle fever ticks.

“If they have an ear-tag, you look behind the ear-tag. If they have a cut, a scrape — anywhere where there's a break in the skin — that is where the screwworm will lay their eggs and the larvae will be found,” Benavidez said.

The New World Screwworm is a parasitic pest that has the capability to destroy the cattle industry

The fly lays its eggs on open wounds, causing a possible fatal infection that can spread.

Mexico has reported more than 800 active cases in cattle across southern states, triggering the United States to block the imports of live Mexican cattle for a second time over the summer.

In September, a new case of screwworm was detected in the town of Sabinas Hidalgo in the Mexican state of Nuevo León, about 70 miles from Starr County.

The New World Screwworm has not been detected in the Rio Grande Valley, and the state says these inspections 80 miles north of the border are the first line of defense.

“And if it's here, we want to catch it in South Texas before it gets past us,” Benavidez said.

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