Odor complaints target Mexico’s screwworm fly facility

Residents in Metapa de Dominguez, Mexico, are demanding the closure of a sterile-fly production plant, complaining that a strong, rotten-meat odor is disrupting daily life and forcing nearby schools to alter classes. Residents say the smell spreads across town, causes nausea, and reaches schools near the facility. Protesters are asking authorities to address the problem, particularly for children and elderly residents. Reuters said the plant opened in June as part of a U.S.-Mexican effort to combat New World Screwworm, a livestock parasite that has spread north through Central America and Mexico. The United States contributed 21 million dollars toward the facility’s 51-million-dollar cost. Sterile flies are a key tool in controlling screwworm because they mate with wild flies without producing offspring, helping reduce the pest population. The facility is eventually expected to produce 100 million sterile flies each week. The outbreak has disrupted cross-border cattle trade between the