April 20, 2023

US agriculture official calls for USDA's access to funding to combat animal diseases 

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) needs to be able to access funding from the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) to fight animal diseases, said US Agriculture Undersecretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt at a recent House Agriculture Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Subcommittee hearing.

In her testimony, Moffitt noted that Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack used his emergency transfer authority under the Animal Health Protection Act to transfer US$550 million from the CCC, the USDA's line of credit at the Treasury, to keep African swine fever (ASF), which is now present in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, out of the US.

Moffitt said the animal health programmes established in the 2018 farm bill are vital but that the USDA also needs the flexibility to call on CCC funding when necessary.

Some Republicans who are upset about Vilsack's use of the CCC for the Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities initiative have talked about restricting the secretary's use of CCC funds.

Rep. Tracey Mann, R-Kan., chairman of the subcommittee, and Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif., ranking member on the subcommittee, both said the next farm bill must continue to include animal disease prevention programmes established in the 2018 farm bill.

"Animal health issues don't always get the attention they deserve, but as we have seen with past animal disease outbreaks, their enormous economic consequences extend well beyond the animal industry," Mann said in an opening statement. "The new farm bill must continue to address these risks to animal health while bolstering the long-term ability of US animal agriculture to be competitive in the global marketplace and provide consumers around the world safe, wholesome, affordable food produced in a sustainable manner."

Costa said he believes animal disease prevention "is an essential role of government and is a good example of proactive over reactive policy making."

"These farm bill programmes are an essential part of maintaining a secure food supply for our country," Coasta added. "As we have seen over the past year, the cost of an outbreak will far exceed the cost of supporting disease prevention programmes. And while credit is not always given for prevention, I believe this is an essential role of government and is a good example of proactive over reactive policy making."

- The Fence Post