(NewsNation) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has opened a 22,000-square-foot sterile fly production facility in Mexico capable of producing up to 100 million flies to combat the New World screwworm.

The opening comes as the USDA confirmed another screwworm infestation Saturday in South Texas’ Jim Hogg County, bringing the total number of cases in the U.S. to 26. Of those, 21 remain active, according to NewsNation affiliate KBGT.

The USDA invested $21 million to renovate and convert an existing fruit fly facility in Metapa, Mexico. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said construction began about 11 months ago. While the site is not yet fully complete, officials expect it to begin producing 30 million sterile flies by mid-July.

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“The more sterile flies we produce and deploy, the faster we can suppress and ultimately eradicate this devastating pest,” Rollins wrote in a post on X.

The U.S. confirmed its first recent screwworm case in a calf on June 3. The flesh-eating parasite, which can devastate livestock populations, was eradicated in the U.S. in the 1960s and confined to Panama. However, the USDA says it spread north after breaching the Darién Gap in 2021 and reached the U.S. by summer 2025.

Lawmakers estimate a widespread outbreak could cost Texas livestock producers about $732 million annually and lead to total economic losses of up to $1.8 billion per year statewide.

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