June 21, 2022

 

USDA-APHIS seeks project proposals for foreign animal disease response

 

The United States Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is continuing to advance animal disease preparedness and response through its farm bill animal health programmes.

 

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).

 

The United States' 2018 Farm Bill provided funding for these programmes as part of an overall strategy to help prevent animal pests and diseases from entering the country and reduce the spread and impact of potential disease incursions through advance planning and preparedness. Projects selected for funding will be awarded in fiscal year 2023.

 

APHIS will make available up to US$24.5 million in funds for NADPRP and NAHLN.

NADPRP addresses the risk of introduction and spread of high-consequence animal pests and diseases through cooperative or interagency agreements between APHIS and states, universities, livestock producer organisations, Tribal organizations, land-grant universities and other eligible entities. This programme enhances APHIS' animal health efforts through collaboration with animal health partners throughout the US.

 

Together, APHIS and its partners carry out high-value projects that enhance prevention, preparedness, detection and response to the most damaging emerging and foreign animal diseases that threaten US agriculture. APHIS will provide up to US$17 million for this year's NADPRP projects focused on advancing animal disease preparedness and response capabilities in eight priority topic areas developed through stakeholder consultation.

 

In fall 2022, APHIS will provide an additional funding opportunity for Tribal animal disease preparedness and response capabilities. APHIS also intends to allocate an additional US$500,000 through the NADPRP programme to support two nationally coordinated, APHIS-led projects. One project will enhance animal disease traceability at high-volume livestock commingling points such as ports of entry (US$250,000) and a second project will increase communications to NADPRP eligible entities about the value and impact of projects funded to date in the NADPRP programme.

 

The NAHLN is a nationally coordinated network and partnership of federal, state and university-associated animal health laboratories providing animal health diagnostic testing to detect both foreign and endemic high-consequence pathogens in the US' food animals, which is vital to protecting animal health, public health and the nation's food supply.

 

Should foreign animal disease strike, these laboratories are the first line of defense in swiftly diagnosing and detecting the extent of the outbreak to limit the impact on producers.

 

APHIS will make a total of US$7.5 million available to NAHLN. This will include US$5.25 million to be provided to the NAHLN laboratories in noncompetitive funding for operational support. APHIS will provide up to US$2.25 million in additional funds through a competitive process for those NAHLN projects benefiting the entire network focused on stockpile/capacity maintenance, IT standardisation, high-capacity diagnostic equipment and increasing technical personnel.

 

The NAVVCB allows APHIS to stockpile animal vaccines and other related products, serving as an effective insurance policy in the event of an outbreak of certain high-consequence foreign animal diseases, like foot-and-mouth disease virus.

 

APHIS will invest an additional US$30 million in NAVVCB purchases in FY 2022 and FY 2023, including FMD vaccine and diagnostic test kits. This purchase will make more doses available should they be needed.

 

For the first time, APHIS will also purchase diagnostic test kits for the NAVVCB stockpile.
 

- USDA-APHIS