Category Archives: USDA

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is proposing a new regulation that would ban the slaughter of non-ambulatory cattle.

The Senate agriculture appropriations bill marked up on July 17 included a $5 million appropriation for the National Veterinary Medical Service Act.

Dr. Jen Greiner, NPPC Director of Science and Technology, provides the following updates on legislative activities on Capitol Hill concerning the Animal Drug User Fee Act (ADUFA) and the Senate Agriculture Funding Bill.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) today announced a proposal to adjust the user fees charged for import and export related services provided for animals, animal products, birds, germ plasm, organisms and vectors.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is amending its regulations to allow, under certain conditions, the importation of uncooked pork and pork products processed in regions where classical swine fever (CSF) exist. APHIS is taking this action primarily to allow uncooked pork and pork products that originate in the United States to be processed in Mexico and then returned to the United States.

USDA announced it will implement a series of interim actions to verify and analyse humane handling activities in all federally inspected establishments, and said it will focus inspection efforts on plants that handle animals most prone to stress such as pigs.

The International Cooperation on Harmonization of Technical Requirements for the Registration of Veterinary Medicinal Products (VICH) has developed a draft guideline titled “Target Animal Safety for Veterinary Live and Inactivated Vaccines.”

Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer has announced the appointment of Dr. Scott Hurd as Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the USDA agency which protects public health through food safety and defense by ensuring that the nation’s supply of meat, poultry and processed egg products are safe and wholesome. Dr. Hurd began in his new position on February 12, 2008.

In 2006, the Kansas Animal Health Department (KAHD) entered into a cooperative agreement with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Wildlife Services (WS) to develop a statewide control/eradication program for feral pigs in Kansas. 2007 was the first full year of the program’s implementation. The main objectives of the program were to first determine where feral pig populations existed in Kansas and to determine population numbers. Secondly, develop landowner cooperation and begin control efforts.

The U.S. Senate confirmed former North Dakota Governor Ed Schafer to be the next Secretary of Agriculture on January 28th.