$125 Million Allocated to Screwworm Eradication Project

Some $125 million has been allocated in the 2006/07 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives, for the Eradication of New World Screwworm Project, to continue prevention, control and quarantine measures, resulting in increased food production.
The project, which is funded by the government of Jamaica and the International Atomic Energy Agency, aims to eradicate the new world screwworm, an insect, which causes destructive myiasis in warm-blooded animals, including humans. The Ministry of Agriculture and Land is the implementing agency for the project.
The targets for the fiscal year include: production, processing and distribution of sterile flies; release of 20 million flies per week for three months; re-activation of public awareness campaign through the electronic media; continuation of filed activities and distribution of insecticide island-wide; and completion of the eradication process to declare the country screwworm free.
Up to December 2005, physical achievements under the programme included: the purchase and processing of approximately 10.206 billion pupae; dispersing of some 7.229 billion sterile screwworm flies; distribution of 1.9 million packets of insecticide and sample collection tubes; development and airing of radio and television advertisements; while there were fly trapping and egg mass collection activities across the island.
In addition, some 947,200 flyers were designed, printed and distributed to specific groups; there was participation in agricultural shows such as Denbigh and Minard; and the overhauling of chilled fly unit to facilitate greater efficiency.