Category Archives: USDA

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.

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.