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.

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.