USDA Awards $2.29 Million in Farm Bill Funding to Protect Animal Health

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.

“NAHLN funding is vital to safeguarding the nation’s food supply against threats posed by animal diseases, especially ones of foreign origin. Pork producers are focused on the 2023 Farm Bill and urge continued funding for the critically important 'three-legged stool' of animal health, including NAHLN, the NAVVCB ('vaccine bank') and NADPRP. Continued funding for NAHLN is necessary to enhance animal health diagnostic testing for both endemic and high-consequence pathogens in the nation’s livestock and poultry. These laboratories are the first line of defense for detecting animal diseases and pathogens,” the National Pork Producers Council told Farm Journal's PORK.