APHIS awards $14.4 million for animal disease preparedness

USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is awarding $14.4 million to fund projects focused on animal health.

The 76 projects receiving funding are being led by states, universities and other partners. They focus on increasing livestock biosecurity measures and advancing rapid depopulation and disposal abilities in case of high-consequence animal disease outbreaks. Projects also focus on enhancing early detection of animal diseases and improving response capabilities at NAHLN (National Animal Health Laboratory Network) veterinary diagnostic laboratories.

The 2018 Farm Bill provided funding for these programs as part of an overall strategy to help prevent animal pests and diseases from entering the country and to reduce the spread and impact of potential disease outbreaks. This is the second year APHIS is providing this Farm Bill funding. Last year, the agency distributed $10.2 million to 44 projects.

More information is available from APHIS.