For anyone who has spent a lifetime tending cattle, few threats stir more concern than the New World Screwworm. This flesh-eating pest, once driven from American soil nearly six decades ago, has crept back toward our borders, and ranchers across the country are watching closely. This week brought news that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is bringing a familiar face from the cattle world into the fight.
On June 8, 2026, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced that President Donald J. Trump has appointed John Bellinger as the new Senior Advisor for New World Screwworm Preparedness. In the role, Bellinger will join the USDA team to help drive the agency’s effort to explore every available technology to combat the pest and keep it from gaining a foothold in American herds.
For Bellinger, this is more than a job title. He is a Texas cattleman with deep roots in the very region where the screwworm threat is most pressing. That kind of firsthand knowledge, paired with decades in the food safety and beef industries, is exactly what the USDA says it needs as the agency moves into the next phase of its response.
Secretary Rollins thanked Bellinger for stepping up at a critical moment. She noted that the United States successfully eradicated the screwworm nearly sixty years ago, and pointed to border policy as a factor in its return. Her message was clear: the goal is to push the pest back beyond our borders and protect the livestock that so many families depend on for their livelihood. Bellinger’s Texas roots and his private sector experience, she said, will help the administration advance its response and safeguard American producers.
Bellinger, for his part, sounded ready for the work ahead. He acknowledged that the screwworm presents unique challenges to America’s ranchers and praised the steps already taken to build up a domestic response. He described an effort happening in real time, with longer-term capabilities being developed to push the pest back beyond the Darien Gap. He said he looked forward to working alongside the USDA and its state partners to ramp up testing, detection, and the release of tools designed to reduce these flies’ populations.
Those who follow the cattle industry will recognize Bellinger’s name. He currently serves on the Texas A&M Board of Regents, having been appointed by Governor Greg Abbott in 2023, where he chairs the Committee on Research. A San Antonio resident, he is the co-founder, alongside his wife Gina, and former CEO of Food Safety Net Services, and he now serves on the board of the company formed by the merger of FSNS and the Certified Group. He is the CEO of Agri-West International, a food exporter, as well as Bellinger Development.
His resume runs deep in the meat business. He is the former chairman of both the U.S. Meat Export Federation and the Southwest Meat Association, and he remains a partner and board member of several enterprises, including Nolan Ryan Beef, BK Beef, BC Stables, AW Japan, Just Pots, and Livek. He is also a member of the Texas A&M University College of Agriculture Development Council and an adviser to the Animal Science Department.
Bellinger’s contributions to agriculture have not gone unnoticed. He was named Outstanding Alumnus of the Texas A&M University College of Agriculture in 2007 and Outstanding Alumnus of the Animal Science Department in 2014. In 2022, he was inducted into the U.S. Meat Industry Hall of Fame. He earned both a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Education and a Master of Science in Animal Science from Texas A&M University.
For ranchers and cattle producers, the appointment of someone who has walked the same pastures and faced the same uncertainties offers a measure of reassurance. The fight against the New World Screwworm is far from over, but having an advocate at the table who understands the weight of protecting a herd, and the legacy each family hopes to pass on, is a welcome development for those who work the land and steward the animals in their care.
For more details on the appointment and USDA’s New World Screwworm response, visit www.usda.gov or contact the USDA Office of Communications at press@usda.gov.