A Maitland man was arrested for entering Florida with unchecked livestock from a high-risk area in Texas affected by the New World screwworm.
According to the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, Roger Rodriguez Vega failed to provide veterinary inspection documentation required under the state’s New World Screwworm emergency protections when he attempted to cross into Florida through a Pensacola agriculture checkpoint.
After he was denied entry into the state, FDACS said Rodriguez Vega reentered Florida through Georgia and brought 24 sheep and goats into the state.
“This arrest also serves as a warning to others that we will hold accountable anyone who intentionally violates Florida law and threatens our state’s farmers and ranchers,” said Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson.
Rodriguez Vega is charged with 24 counts of unlawful entry of animals into the state and one count of resisting an officer without violence.
The screwworm is a fly that lays its eggs in body openings and feeds on live animals, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. It was eradicated from the U.S. in 1966, except for a small outbreak in the Florida Keys in 2017.
In June, Florida ramped up protections to prevent the screwworm from making its way to Florida from other states like Texas and New Mexico.
The screwworm does not affect food safety and cannot spread through meat, poultry or dairy products, according to the USDA. But the parasite can devastate meat production, and its arrival comes as U.S. cattle numbers are at historic lows.
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