The Stop the SWARM Act of 2025 directs the Secretary of Agriculture to submit a report within 30 days of enactment on the United States’ readiness and response to New World screwworm threats. The report will be prepared by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and focus on domestic readiness, including the possible construction of a domestic production facility if a threat emerges, and on partnerships with states and industry to support preparedness.
It will also analyze sterile fly production technologies and other eradication tools, and assess the benefits and barriers—timelines and costs—of enhanced domestic production in comparison to international production.
The bill is a targeted, information-gathering measure intended to establish a baseline for national preparedness and to inform future policy and investment decisions. By outlining specific areas for assessment, it provides Congress with a clearer view of potential domestic capacity, capability gaps, and the fiscal implications of pursuing domestic production options for screwworm control.
At a Glance
What It Does
Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to deliver a report on New World screwworm readiness within 30 days of enactment. The report must examine domestic readiness, production facility considerations, partnerships with states and industry, sterile fly production tech, and the costs and timelines of domestic versus international production.
Who It Affects
USDA-APHIS, state agricultural agencies, livestock producers, private sector suppliers of sterile insect techniques, and academic researchers involved in pest control.
Why It Matters
Sets a concrete information baseline for national readiness, informs potential investments in domestic production, and clarifies the policy pathways for coordinating a cross-state and industry response to screwworm threats.
More articles like this one.
A weekly email with all the latest developments on this topic.
What This Bill Actually Does
The Stop the SWARM Act of 2025 codifies a narrow but important information-gathering obligation. Within 30 days of enactment, the Secretary of Agriculture must submit a report to Congress through the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) detailing New World screwworm readiness and response, with an emphasis on domestic capacity and preparedness.
The report is required to explore whether a domestic production facility would be constructed in the event of a threat, and to assess how states and industry could partner in such an effort.
In addition to domestic readiness, the report must evaluate sterile fly production technologies and other tools available for eradication or suppression, along with the advantages and obstacles of domestic versus international production. The goal is to provide a clear, data-driven assessment of whether and how the United States could bolster its readiness to respond to screwworm threats, including timelines, costs, and practical implementation considerations.
This is a planning-focused measure: no new program is created by the bill itself, but the resulting report could shape future policy choices and funding decisions related to screwworm surveillance, prevention, and response.
The Five Things You Need to Know
The bill requires the Secretary of Agriculture to submit a report within 30 days after enactment.
The report must assess domestic readiness and the potential construction of a domestic production facility if a threat exists.
The report must evaluate sterile fly production technology and other eradication tools.
The report must analyze partnerships with states and industry for readiness efforts.
The report must weigh benefits and barriers, including timelines and costs, of enhanced domestic production versus international production.
Section-by-Section Breakdown
Every bill we cover gets an analysis of its key sections.
Short Title
This section designates the Act’s official short title as the Stop the SWARM Act of 2025. It provides a convenient citation reference for all subsequent discussions and formal references to the legislation.
Report on New World Screwworm Readiness and Response
This section requires the Secretary of Agriculture to submit, not later than 30 days after enactment, a comprehensive report on New World screwworm readiness and response. The report must focus on domestic readiness (including the construction of a domestic production facility if warranted by a threat) and on partnerships with states and industry. It must also evaluate sterile fly production technology and other eradication tools, and assess the benefits and barriers—including timelines and costs—of enhanced domestic production versus international production.
This bill is one of many.
Codify tracks hundreds of bills on Agriculture across all five countries.
Explore Agriculture in Codify Search →Who Benefits and Who Bears the Cost
Every bill creates winners and losers. Here's who stands to gain and who bears the cost.
Who Benefits
- APHIS and the USDA will gain a formal, centralized assessment that informs national preparedness and potential policy actions.
- State agriculture departments stand to benefit from a clearer framework for intergovernmental collaboration and data-sharing in readiness planning.
- Livestock producers and agribusinesses could benefit from potential clarity on domestic production capabilities and response timelines.
- Private sector partners involved in sterile insect technique development and deployment may gain visibility into strategic needs and collaboration opportunities.
- Research institutions and universities could contribute data and expertise, influencing future policy and funding decisions.
Who Bears the Cost
- Federal resources (staff time and data collection) required to prepare the report.
- State governments may incur administrative costs related to coordination and information sharing.
- Private sector participants providing data, technology input, or collaboration may bear costs in aligning with reporting requirements.
- Any early-stage planning activities resulting from the report’s findings could entail pilot or feasibility costs if domestic production moves beyond planning.
Key Issues
The Core Tension
The core tension is whether a 30-day, broad-facing report can adequately capture the feasibility, costs, and timelines of a domestic production facility and related preparedness measures, while balancing the risk of diverting attention from immediate outbreak response needs and relying on data from multiple, potentially confidential sources.
The bill’s scope is limited to a reporting requirement, which minimizes direct fiscal mandates but creates a mechanism for information gathering that could influence future policy. A central tension is balancing thorough, scientifically grounded assessment with the risk of directing attention and resources toward hypothetical domestic production rather than immediate response needs.
The reliance on data from multiple actors—federal, state, industry, and academia—could pose coordination challenges, and private-sector data may carry confidentiality considerations.
Another practical tension is the cost and feasibility of constructing a domestic production facility should the report deem it warranted. While the act does not authorize new funding or direct construction, the resulting analysis could prompt future appropriations and policy choices that reallocate resources toward domestic capabilities.
The timing of the 30-day reporting deadline also raises questions about whether the Secretary can sufficiently compile a comprehensive assessment in that window, given the potential need for cross-agency and cross-sector coordination.
Try it yourself.
Ask a question in plain English, or pick a topic below. Results in seconds.