Gov. Greg Abbott was joined by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins at the Texas Capitol where Rollins announced the federal government’s plan to spend up to $850 million to prevent the New World screwworm’s arrival in the United States.

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.

Mounted patrol officers, known as tick riders, who typically patrol the southern border to protect cattle from fever tick, will also now serve as the first line of defense against screwworm.