Gov. Greg Abbott and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins held a joint news conference Friday to announce new efforts to combat the New World screwworm.

With the presence of a deadly, flesh-eating parasite in the U.S. growing greater by the day, federal and Texas officials are taking serious steps to stop a potential invasion and protect the country's livestock.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will spend up to $750 million to build a sterile fly production facility in Texas to fight the flesh-eating livestock pest New World screwworm, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Friday.