Safeguarding

Animal Health

In the fall of 2000, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service (APHIS) entered into a cooperative agreement with the National Association of State

Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) to conduct a

review of its animal health safeguarding system. The

review assessed the performance and efficiency of

APHIS’ Veterinary Services (VS) infrastructure as

well as the activities, procedures, policies, partnerships, and authorities that comprise the existing safeguarding system. NASDA delivered its final report to 

USDA officials in November 2001.

The working definition used by NASDA for 

safeguarding, is that it is an integrated system for

preventing, detecting, and appropriately responding

to adverse animal health events. Adverse health

events can result from the real or perceived impacts

of diseases, pests, vectors or toxins on productivity,

trade, or public health. Safeguarding animal health is

a complex challenge made more demanding with an

ever–changing global economy and international

agreements.

The Animal Health Safeguarding Review 

provides a foundation for building a national safeguarding system that takes into account the activities

of industry, States, and related organizations. VS is

using the principles and recommendations contained

in the review as guides in developing system

improvements. VS expects to expand the scope of

the 33 principles and 152 recommendations—to look

beyond daily operations to the systems and 

dynamics that are the basis of its operations.

Implementing the Recommendations

To make the recommendations workable, VS

assigned them to seven issue groups: National

Surveillance System, Laboratory Systems, Exclusion

Activities, Coordinated Response, Veterinary

Accreditation, Organizational

Dynamics/Communication, and Information

Technology. A team leader has been assigned to

each issue group. Team members include 

individuals from across APHIS program units along

with State and university animal health experts.

To organize their activities, each group has 

prepared a comprehensive plan ensuring that they

have taken a big picture view of their assignment

starting with the end in mind. The groups created

vision statements and identified key issues to help

ensure that they understood the overall intent of the 

principles/recommendations provided in the review.

Issue groups are now developing action plans to

address these key issues. An action plan template

has been provided to each issue group to guide the

development of these action plans and ensure that

each action plan takes into account relevant facts—

identifying an accountable group or individual,

resources needed, statutory and regulatory impacts, 

political sensitivities, expected outcome, and 

performance indicators.

Once each action plan is done, it will be 

submitted to a panel of VS reviewers to make sure all

required elements are included and then to the VS

management team for final approval. The plans will

be posted on the VS Safeguarding Web site

(www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/safeguard.htm) for public

comment.

Implementation Progress Highlights

Some highlights of the progress made in

implementing the recommendations include:

• Animal Health Protection Act becomes law—

This Act consolidates and updates the statutory 

authorities underpinning APHIS animal health 

safeguarding activities. Safeguarding Review 

Recommendation #58 encouraged passage of 

the Animal Health Protection Act in order to 

deal with shortcomings in APHIS authorities.

• Homeland Security funds disbursed—Forty 

three million dollars was made available for 

State grants and cooperative agreements in 

May 2002. Monies are being used to initiate 

a network of diagnostic laboratories, strengthen 

State capabilities to respond to animal disease 

emergencies, strengthen State-level 

surveillance for animal disease and place 

tissue digestors in several States. Several 

Safeguarding Review recommendations 

identified funding as a critical need.

• National Surveillance Coordinator hired—

Dr. Valerie Ragan has been appointed Assistant 

Deputy Administrator for VS, a position from 

which she will also serve as National 

Surveillance Coordinator. Recommendation #1 

in the Safeguarding Review called for the 

establishment of a national surveillance 

leadership position.

• Formal Incident Command System used for first 

time—An Incident Command System was used 

by Federal and State personnel in responding to 

Factsheet

Veterinary Services October 2002

APHIS
the low pathogenic avian influenza outbreak in 

Virginia earlier this year. Several Safeguarding 

Review recommendations called for improving the

management of emergency operations.

• National Animal Health Laboratory Network—

Twelve laboratories have been selected to receive

Homeland Security funding. These laboratories 

will establish a unified network of public 

agricultural institutions able to assist in identifying 

and responding to high–risk biological pathogens 

in the food and agricultural system. Both APHIS 

and the Cooperative State Research, Education 

and Extension Service are involved with this 

process. Several Safeguarding Review 

recommendations identified the need to establish 

a national animal health laboratory system.

• Laboratory modernization—Design work has been

initiated on several of the new facilities being 

planned in Ames, Iowa. Several Safeguarding 

Review recommendations supported implementation and full funding of the modernization plan.

• Veterinary Accreditation—A joint VS and 

American Veterinary Medical Association article 

on New Directions for the National Veterinary 

Accreditation Program was published in JAVMA 

in May signaling agreement on a program 

direction. Work is now progressing on 

developing the proposed rule to implement the 

new program and to develop training materials for 

practitioners. Recommendation #101 called for 

strengthening the Federal system of accreditation.

Additional Information

For more information see the VS Safeguarding

Web site: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/safeguard.htm.

or contact the implementation co-chairs or issue

group leaders.

Co-chair—Valerie Ragan

(valerie.e.ragan@aphis.usda.gov)

Co-chair—Carol Tuszynski

(carol.a.tuszynski@aphis.usda.gov)

National Surveillance System—Kevin Cassidy

(kevin.m.cassidy@aphis.usda.gov)

Laboratory Systems—Donald Evans

(donald.e.evans@aphis.usda.gov)

Exclusion Activities—Roger Odenweller (roger.odenweller@aphis.usda.gov)

Coordinated Response—Gary Svetlik (gary.t.svetlik@aphis.usda.gov)

Veterinary Accreditation—Lynne Siegfried

(lynne.m.siegfried@aphis.usda.gov)

Organizational Dynamics/Communications—Roxanne

Mullaney (roxanne.c.mullaney@aphis.usda.gov)

Information Technology—Steve Weber

(steve.weber@aphis.usda.gov)

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

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.