Category Archives: USDA

The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is seeking comments on a proposed rule to amend regulations governing its Agricultural Quarantine and Inspection program user fees. APHIS and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection jointly administer the AQI program, which assures that cargo and passenger baggage entering the country is inspected for plant pests and potential sources of animal diseases that could affect U.S. agriculture, trade and commerce. Foreign pests and diseases can be devastating to U.S. agriculture and the broader U.S. economy, and the AQI program is highly successful at preventing such disruptions.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is continuing to advance animal disease preparedness and response through its Farm Bill animal health programs. APHIS is seeking project proposals for the National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program (NADPRP) and the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN). The agency is also announcing its next round of purchases for the National Animal Vaccine and Veterinary Countermeasures Bank (NAVVCB).

Each year, we have the honor of sharing the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services’ (APHIS) achievements through our Impact Report. In 2022, we celebrated APHIS’ 50th anniversary. We did this while battling the twin challenges of the COVID-19 global pandemic and the largest animal health outbreak in this country’s history – the ongoing Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) outbreak, which stretched to 47 states.

The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced 12 awards totaling more than $3.2 million in cooperative agreement funding to create antimicrobial resistance dashboards. These awards will help advance scientific knowledge around antimicrobial resistance through partnerships with the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, Cornell University, Iowa State University, University of Florida, North Carolina State University, Texas Tech University, University of Illinois, University of Missouri and University of Washington.

The Center for Veterinary Biologics (CVB) recently added CVB Notice 23-06: Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Genes in Veterinary Biologics Products to its website. The intended purpose of this notice is to outline current policy regarding the presence of antimicrobial resistant (AMR) genes in veterinary biologics administered to animals.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) paid nearly $9 million in 2022 to ease the educational debt load of 89 veterinarians through the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP). The federal program is designed to shore up shortages in food animal practice or public practice. For years, the AVMA has successfully secured funding for the VMLRP.

The newest video in the ongoing series, Feral Swine in America: Chapter Six- Louisiana, looks at the impacts feral swine have on alligators and agriculture in Louisiana and the disease risk they pose to livestock, wildlife, and humans.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today that it is implementing a multi-step effort aimed at strengthening the substantiation of animal-raising claims.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is awarding $566,626 to support four new cooperative agreements with tribal partners through the National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program (NADPRP). These projects will enhance these Tribes’ – and our nation’s – animal disease response capabilities and strengthen APHIS’ relationships with these partners.

The USDA and the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate officials celebrated the dedication and ribbon-cutting of the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility. This facility, which offers the highest level of biocontainment laboratories and safety protocols, is the first of its kind in the United States and will allow scientists to study and diagnose critical animal diseases.