Category Archives: USDA

U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) and Raphael Warnock (D-GA) have introduced the Feral Swine Eradication Act, which would extend and make permanent a pilot program to safeguard public health, agriculture, and local ecosystems against the threat of feral swine.

Food animal veterinarians are critical to maintaining a healthy, secure, and safe food supply. Today, there is a critical shortage of food animal veterinarians in both private and public practice, particularly in rural communities in the U.S. and insular areas. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP) provides approximately $9 million per year in funding to help eligible veterinarians offset a significant portion of debt incurred in pursuit of their veterinary medical degrees in return for their service in certain high-priority veterinary shortage situations.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is awarding $2.29 million through the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) Farm Bill program to advance APHIS’ animal health preparedness. The 2018 Farm Bill provided funding for this program as part of an overall strategy to prevent animal pests and diseases from entering the United States and reduce the spread and impact of potential disease incursions.

Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) published a new 5-year strategic plan. It incorporates input we received from stakeholders on the strategic framework–a summarized version of the plan that we published in June 2022. The plan includes six strategic goals.

A diverse panel has accepted U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Thomas Vilsack’s invitation to serve on the National Wildlife Services Advisory Committee (NWSAC). The 20 members, including four returning advisors, were named in early March. The NWSAC advises the Secretary on recommendations for policies and activities for the USDA’s Wildlife Services (WS) program.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is awarding $15.8 million to 60 projects led by 38 states, land-grant universities, and industry organizations to enhance our nation’s ability to rapidly respond to and control animal disease outbreaks. USDA is awarding this funding through the 2018 Farm Bill’s National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program (NADPRP).

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP) announces the opening of the fiscal year (FY) 2023 application cycle. NIFA anticipates that approximately $10 million in funding will be available in FY23 to help mitigate food animal veterinary service shortages in the United States. VMLRP helps qualified veterinarians offset a significant portion of the debt incurred in pursuit of their veterinary medical degrees in return for their service in certain high-priority veterinary shortage areas.

As part of its continued efforts to prevent the introduction of African Swine Fever (ASF) into the United States, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing a new partnership with the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA), National Pork Board, and National Pork Producers Council. Through enhanced coordination and information sharing, the four entities will work to improve ASF prevention and preparedness efforts.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is celebrating the Agency’s many successful efforts to protect American agriculture and natural resources over the past year.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is announcing the purchase of diagnostic test kits for the National Animal Vaccine and Veterinary Countermeasures Bank (NAVVCB). This is the first purchase of these kits, used to test livestock for African swine fever (ASF) and foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). The purchases help increase U.S. preparedness to respond to high-consequence foreign animal diseases (FADs).