The National

Response Plan

In December 2004, under a Presidential Directive,

the U.S. Department of Homeland Security developed

a comprehensive, all–hazards approach to enhance

the ability of the United States to manage domestic

incidents. This approach, known as the National

Response Plan (NRP), incorporates best practices

and procedures from various incident management

disciplines and integrates them into a unified 

structure. The NRP forms the basis of how the

Federal Government coordinates with State, Tribal,

and local governments and the private sector during

incidents.

Under the NRP, resources are grouped into

Emergency Support Functions (ESFs) that would

most likely be needed during a domestic incident.

ESF #11 specifically addresses the protection of agriculture and natural resources and is coordinated by

the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). ESF #11

is divided into four primary functions:

1. Provision of nutrition assistance—Includes

determining nutrition assistance needs, obtaining

appropriate food supplies, arranging for delivery of

supplies, and authorizing disaster food stamps. This

function is coordinated by USDA’s Food and Nutrition

Service (FNS).

2. Animal and plant disease and pest

response—Includes implementing an integrated

Federal, State, Tribal, and local response to an 

outbreak of a highly contagious or economically 

devastating zoonotic (animal) disease, an outbreak of

a highly infective exotic plant disease, or an 

economically devastating plant pest infestation.

Ensures that animal, veterinary, and wildlife issues in

natural disasters are supported in coordination with

the emergency support function that covers public

health and medical services. This function is 

coordinated by USDA’s Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service (APHIS).

3. Assurance of the safety and security of the

commercial food supply—Includes the inspection

and verification of food safety aspects of slaughter

and processing plants, products in distribution and

retail sites, and import facilities at ports of entry;

laboratory analysis of food samples; control of 

products suspected to be adulterated; plant closures;

foodborne disease surveillance; and field investigations. This function is coordinated by USDA’s Food

Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).

4. Protection of natural, cultural, and historic

(NCH) properties—Includes appropriate response

actions to conserve, rehabilitate, recover, and restore

NCH resources. This function is coordinated by the

U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of

Environmental Policy and Compliance.

APHIS’ Leading Role in ESF #11

As a part of ESF #11, APHIS will coordinate any

response efforts for incidents involving an animal 

disease, plant disease, or plant pest. APHIS will be

responsible in these instances for coordinating State,

Tribal, and local authorities and other Federal 

agencies to conduct disease and/or pest control and

eradication activities. Unlike the previous program,

the Federal Response Plan, the NPR allows APHIS

to utilize the Federal unified emergency management

structure to respond to agricultural emergencies,

such as animal and plant disease.

This role is consistent with APHIS’ traditional 

mission of safeguarding the health of U.S. animal and

plant agricultural resources. APHIS has led response

efforts for several, high–profile animal and plant 

emergencies in recent years. For example, Asian

longhorned beetle (ALB), a destructive wood–boring

insect that attacks hardwood trees, was discovered in

New York City in 1996 and Chicago in 1998. APHIS

and State and local governments have managed

response and eradication efforts costing more than

$59 million.

Another example involves California’s recent 

outbreak of exotic Newcastle disease (END). END—

one of the most infectious poultry diseases in the

world—was spread to California through birds 

illegally smuggled into the United States. APHIS led

efforts to eradicate the disease and was ultimately

successful in this endeavor. The cost of the response

effort reached nearly $200 million.

In the future when animal and plant emergencies

occur, APHIS will direct its response efforts from

headquarters through the following ESF protocols:

• APHIS will provide headquarters–level direction 

and organize the ESF staff.

• The APHIS national response coordinator will 

convene a conference call with the appropriate 

support agencies and non–Federal partners to 

assess the situation and determine appropriate 

actions.

Factsheet

Veterinary Services April 2005

APHIS
• APHIS will alert supporting organizations and 

request that they provide representation.

• For regional operations, APHIS will work with the 

State’s principal point of contact to coordinate 

Federal–State response efforts.

° For animal/zoonotic response, the State 

contact may be the State Veterinarian or other

official from either the animal health or 

emergency management community. The 

Federal representative will be the Area 

Veterinarian–in–Charge.

° For an exotic plant disease or plant pest 

response, the State contact will be the State’s

top plant health regulatory official. The 

Federal representative will be the APHIS 

State Plant Health Director.

• States will activate their statewide, regional, or 

local emergency operations centers, as needed, 

to serve as the base of operations for interfacing 

with local governments, State agencies, and the 

private sector.

• The State and Federal representatives will 

establish a Joint Operations Center, which serves 

as the focal point for coordinating the disease or 

pest management and decisionmaking.

• Regardless of the nature of the disease or pest 

emergency, the State will establish a Joint 

Information Center (JIC) that will function as the 

principal source of information about the incident 

response in the State. The State JIC will 

coordinate closely with the Federal officials to 

ensure consistency in the information released to 

the media and public.

• In assisting with the disease or pest response, the

local or county government will activate its 

emergency operations centers to provide a local 

base of operations. In some States, a county 

emergency declaration may be needed to initiate 

county response activities.

APHIS’ Supporting Role in ESF #11 and

other ESF groups

APHIS will also play a supporting role in ESF #11

incidents not directly related to animal and plant 

diseases or pests. APHIS may assist in the provision

of nutrition assistance; assurance of the safety and

security of the commercial food supply; and protection

of natural, cultural, and historic properties.

APHIS may also play an important supporting role

in response efforts involving other ESF groups. For

example, APHIS provided personnel, vehicles, and

GIS mapping equipment in support of the Federal

response efforts during the repeated hurricane activity

in Florida in 2004. The coordination for this type of

emergency response is now covered by ESF #5.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination

in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national

origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to

all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative

means for communication of program information (Braille, large

print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at

(202) 720–2600 (voice and TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of

Civil Rights, Room 326–W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence

Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250–9410 or call (202) 720–5964

(voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and

employer.

United States Department of Agriculture • Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service • Safeguarding American Agriculture