| Three days ago, Guatemala confirmed its first case of New World Screwworm in a group of cattle 44 miles from the Belize-Guatemala southern border in Los Amates, Izabal.
So, the worm has now been detected in Panama Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras and now Guatemala.
That's why the Ministry of Agriculture, BAHA and other stakeholders have wasted no time in establishing a plan of action in the event that the parasite makes its way into Belize.
Today the minister assisted in hosting an educational workshop on The New World Screwworm in Yo Creek Orange Walk offering his knowledge and expertise on working with cattle. The Minister says that times have changed and many of these diseases and parasites are nothing like they were years ago. He says today's turnout is a testament to how serious the situation is.
Jose Mai, Minister of Agriculture
"30 years ago, the industry will not work what it's worth today, right? Today, there are the industry's worth close to $100 million. 30 years ago, maybe it was worth $20 million. Today, there's large investments in improved pastures, in expanding ranches, there are investments in genetics."
"There are bulls that cost up to $15-20 Belize. 30 years ago, we didn't have that. This is the economy of the country. And so it worries me that we have this pest just a few miles from Belize."
"So speaking to my technicians today, I say, you know what? Let's invite farmers, who come out, come out. And today, we have a full house. We have close to 60 farmers here or more coming to listen to the session."
"I have some experience that I earned 30 years ago. And I explained, I shared my experience with them, with screwworm, what we need to do. What are the things that I believe we need to do. We'll address the part of how you treat the animals now."
"30 years ago, every single calf that was born was infected with screwworms. The cost of managing and treating these worms, the animals with worms, was high. But today, it will be even higher because we have a larger herd, we export 40,000 a year. And so it's a total different picture. And I explained to them that the infantry that will help defend Belize against screwworm infestation are the farmers. They have to be knowledgeable."
"There are very few farmers today who have had experience with screwworms. It was just 30 years ago. So none of the people here, very few, have had experiences dealing with screwworms. And so I have to explain to them what it is, how it comes about, what we need to do."
"And I was very pleased to see the amount of turnout today. It means that people are taking their business seriously."
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