APHIS Safeguarding

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has an

overall biosecurity system designed to prevent

threats to America’s agricultural system. An integral

part of that biosecurity system is USDA’s Animal and

Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). APHIS

has a safeguarding system to prevent introductions

of foreign animal diseases (FAD), non-native animal

and plant pests, and plant pathogens. Through the

system, APHIS also maintains a response mechanism designed to contain and eradicate foreign pests

and pathogens.

Active Prevention

Over the last decade, APHIS has continued to

update safeguarding measures as new science and

information has become available. Outbreaks of

bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and footand-mouth disease (FMD) in Europe brought about

an overall heightened state of awareness of the

potential impact foreign animal disease outbreaks

can have on agriculture. APHIS responded to these

threats by stepping up inspections of travelers entering or returning to the United States as well as

inspections of cargo imports. APHIS also banned

items from BSE- and FMD-affected countries and

worked with importers, shippers, airlines, the travel

industry, and the public to ensure that banned items

that could act as a disease vector did not enter the

country. APHIS maintains agricultural product bans

for a number of countries around the world to ensure

that foreign pathogens and pests don’t gains access

to America’s agriculture.

The outbreaks of FMD around the world in 2001

also prompted USDA to strengthen disease exclusion efforts by hiring additional safeguarding/inspection personnel and placing them at high-risk U.S.

ports of entry. The Secretary authorized spending

an additional $32 million in agricultural quarantine

inspection (AQI) user fee funding to bolster its

inspection forces. APHIS will increase its inspection

personnel by approximately 1,229 people between

the end of fiscal year (FY) 2000 and FY 2002. This

is a 50 percent increase over fiscal year 2000 hiring

levels. Included in these new inspection personnel,

APHIS is also hiring 18 new veterinarians for its comprehensive AQI program to bolster the United States’

agriculture infrastructure. The new veterinarians will

join approximately 5,000 APHIS personnel already

on alert at our Nation’s borders, ports of entry, and

on farms, ensuring preparedness programs are in

place to protect U.S. agriculture.

Active Eradication

While APHIS inspectors and border veterinarians

look outward from America’s borders searching for

agricultural threats, APHIS scientists look inward to

the Nation’s farms and ranch lands. APHIS maintains a network of FAD diagnosticians throughout

America. These disease diagnosticians can be onsite anywhere in the continental United States within

4 hours in case of an emergency. APHIS maintains

animal disease diagnostic laboratories on Plum

Island, NY, and in Ames, IA, which can quickly and

safely diagnose animal diseases at anytime. In 

addition to FAD diagnosticians, APHIS also includes

local, State, and other Federal veterinarians in the

network by providing FAD training and working 

locally on potential FAD cases.

On Guard

Since September 11, 2001, APHIS has heightened its already vigilant efforts to prevent foreign

pests and diseases from entering the United States.

APHIS has undertaken numerous short- and longterm measures to strengthen its infrastructure

through increased funding; closer coordination with

industry, State, and other Federal organizations;

improved research; and program reviews. These

measures ensure America’s agriculture is protected

and remains prosperous.

As part of the January 2002 Defense

Appropriations Act, USDA received funding to

improve these APHIS and other agencies’ safeguarding abilities:

• $105 million for pest and disease exclusion, 

detection, and monitoring

• $80 million for upgrading USDA facilities and 

operational security 

• $50 million for an animal bio-containment facility 

at the National Animal Disease Laboratory to 

serve both APHIS and the Agricultural Research 

Service

• $23 million for the Plum Island Animal Disease 

Center 

• $15 million for security upgrades and 

bioterrorism protection for the Food Safety and 

Inspection Service and

• $14 million for increased security measures at 

the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in 

Ames, IA.

Currently, the Department is developing specific

spending plans for these appropriated funds.

Factsheet

April 2002

APHIS
Industry, State, and Federal Coordination

APHIS has always been committed to ensuring its

stakeholders as well as State and Federal counterparts are fully aware of and support the Agency’s

biosecurity efforts to protect American agriculture.

Since September 11, closer coordination and sharing

emergency preparedness information has become

even more vital.

The 50 States are USDA’s first line of defense in

protecting agriculture, and APHIS continues to

strengthen its State-Federal partnerships. APHIS

recently provided nearly $2 million to 32 States to 

bolster emergency animal disease prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery systems. Funding

provided will be used for training, purchasing equipment, and conducting exercises to simulate animal

health emergencies. The goal of the grant program is

to assist States in meeting and exceeding animal 

disease response standards set by a steering committee of the National Animal Health Emergency

Management System.

As a means to regularly communicate with States

and provide and share information on anthrax and

general emergency preparedness, APHIS has been

participating in monthly National Association of State

Departments of Agriculture (NASDA)-coordinated 

conference calls with several dozen State agriculture

commissioners. These calls have been extremely

successful and have been ongoing since October

2001.

Because FADs do not necessarily abide by international or even State boundaries, APHIS has

worked with States, such as Florida and Texas, and

other Federal agencies to design cooperative plans

for handling potential outbreaks and to conduct FAD

outbreak exercises and scenarios to monitor FAD

emergency response readiness.

In the event of an FAD introduction, the agricultural

livestock communities as well as veterinary practitioners would provide critical support and partner with

APHIS in responding to an outbreak. To ensure these

groups are prepared to deal with a potential FAD 

situation, APHIS has been in regular contact with

them since September 11. In October 2001, APHIS

sponsored its Sixth Annual Emergency Preparedness

Satellite Seminar, the goal of which was to share vital

information with veterinary practitioners across the

country on how to identify and respond to an animal

health emergency. Approximately 1,700 Federal and

State veterinary officials and emergency planners,

military representatives, and veterinary college 

students and professors benefitted from the satellite

broadcast.

To formalize a method in which APHIS could 

activate private veterinarians across the country to

assist with an FAD outbreak, APHIS and the

American Veterinary Medical Association announced

in January 2001 the creation of a National Animal

Health Response Corps. This group is made up of

more than 275 private veterinarians from around the

United States who would become temporary Federal

employees on short notice and assist APHIS veterinarians in field and laboratory operations during a

FAD situation. These veterinarians would supplement

APHIS’ existing staff for periods of up to 60 days and

assist with examining herds for clinical signs of 

disease; vaccinating; collecting specimens; collecting

epidemiological information; supervising disposal of

animal carcasses; and inspecting livestock markets,

trucks, and vehicles.

Internal coordination has become increasing

important since September 11, and APHIS and USDA

are committed to doing their part as it relates to

homeland protection. APHIS has provided specialists

to assist with the Office of Homeland Security and

APHIS has coordinated efforts with the Food and

Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention, the U.S. Customs Service, and law

enforcement agencies on biosecurity issues and

emergency preparedness.

The Future

As new technologies are created and science

evolves, APHIS will remain on the forefront of the

effort to prevent the introduction of foreign agricultural

pests and pathogens. New ideas and programs

designed to safeguard American agriculture are moving forward as plans for high-tech x ray machines and

specially trained port operations dogs are initiated. By

the end of FY 2003, APHIS’ goal is to triple the number of canine teams that work at ports of entry and

international mail facilities to 150 teams. APHIS continues to expand not only its inspection, veterinary,

and scientific personnel, but its cooperative efforts

among industry, government, and private sources.

APHIS also works closely with stakeholders, industry,

State, and foreign governments to ensure a free flow

of information among scientists, academics, and the

public.

The future of APHIS is the same as the past. It is

protection. It is safeguarding America’s borders. It is

ensuring that the health of America’s agriculture is

never threatened. The processes by which APHIS

protects America’s healthy and diverse food supply

have been increasingly challenged. However, APHIS

is committed to taking the lead in building and maintaining a world-class system of exclusion, surveillance, detection, diagnosis, and response.
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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

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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