COPEG (Panama–United States Commission for the Eradication and Prevention of Screwworm Infestation in Livestock) is an international mission between the U.S. and Panama for the control of the Screwworm pest. The project began dispersal operations in Panama in 1998, and the Sterile Fly Production Plant was inaugurated in Pacora in 2006. Until June 2023, Panama was considered the biological barrier against this pest for the rest of Central and North America, through the dispersal of sterile flies from Lake Bayano to 20 nautical miles into Colombia.

Nationwide outbreak of the disease was declared. Currently, the Screwworm (GBG) is present in all Central American countries and Mexico—most of which had been free of the pest for over 20 years. This situation led to the need to establish a new biological barrier further north, with the goal of preventing the pest from reaching American territory again. As a result, sterile fly dispersal in Panamanian territory ceased as of May 2024.