USDA awards millions in Farm Bill funding

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The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced it is awarding over $22.2 million to 81 projects led by 48 states, universities, veterinary diagnostic laboratories, and industry organizations. The goal of the funding is to provide better early detection, enhance prevention, preparedness, and rapid response to the diseases that are most threatening to United States livestock.

“Bolstering animal disease preparedness is crucial because these diseases devastate livestock and hardworking farmers whose animals are affected, and threaten America’s access to safe, healthy, affordable food,” said Jenny Lester Moffitt, under secretary for USDA marking and regulatory programs, in an organizational release.¹ “APHIS plays an important leadership role in protecting against current and future threats to US animal health, and these investments are key to supporting this work.”

According to an organizational release, the USDA awarded funding is though the 2018 Fam Bill’s National Disease Preparedness and Response Program (NADPRP) and the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN).¹ Along with this funding, APHIS is announcing an additional investment of $900,000 in Fam Bill Funds to replenish the national stockpile of classical swine fever vaccinations.

Some of the organizations receiving funding are the following:¹

• NADPRP will receive $16.2 million from APHIS to support 74 new projects through the NADPRP. The new projects will help states develop and practice plans to control disease outbreaks quickly, train responders and producers to perform critical animal response outbreak responses activities and increase producers using effective and practical biosecurity measures. The funding will also be used to educate livestock owners on disease prevention and what happens during an outbreak, support animal movement decisions during a disease outbreak, and more.
• APHIS is also reviewing proposals submitted in a separate NADPRP funding opportunity for Tribes and Tribal organizations with plans to award that funding in June 2024.
• NAHLN will receive $1 million from APHIS plus an additional $5 million directly to NAHLN laboratories for any infrastructure needs. These projects will also enhance early detection of high-consequence animal diseases as well as improve emergency response capabilities of NAHLN’s national network of veterinary diagnostic laboratories.

The National Animal Vaccine and Veterinary Countermeasures Bank (NAVVCB) permits APHIS to stockpile animal vaccinations as well as other related products to use in the case of an outbreak of a certain high-consequence foreign animal disease such as foot-and-mouth disease, classical swine fever, and African swine flu.¹

Reference

USDA awards $22.2 million in Farm Bill Funding to protect animal health. News release. US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Service. May 16, 2024. Accessed May 23, 2024. https://www.aphis.usda.gov/news/agency-announcements/usda-awards-222-million-farm-bill-funding-protect-animal-health#:~:text=WASHINGTON%2C%20May%2016%2C%202024%20%E2%80%93,diseases%20that%20threaten%20U.S.%20livestock.