Fiscal Years 2023–2027

STRATEGIC PLAN

2022 marked APHIS’ 50th anniversary. For half a century, APHIS has been 

securing the health of America’s agricultural resources—protecting 900 

million acres of farmland, facilitating the movement of $177 billion worth 

of U.S. agricultural goods, and keeping 21.6 million Americans employed in 

agriculture-related industries. Our work feeds and clothes the world and 

grows the economy.

Looking back over the past 50 years, we can be proud of what we’ve 

accomplished. We’ve eradicated plant and animal diseases, saving millions 

of acres of land and countless plants and animals from devastating loss. We’ve 

pioneered new technology, making our work to safeguard agricultural health, 

ensure animal welfare, and manage wildlife conflict more efficient. We’ve been 

on the front lines when plant, animal, or all-hazards emergencies arose. Along 

the way, we’ve faced unforeseen challenges. In addition to pest and disease 

outbreaks, there’s been globalization, bioterrorism, natural disasters, climate 

change, and a global pandemic. 

As we embark on the next 50 years, it’s vital that we anticipate the challenges 

of the future. That’s why in May 2021, I convened the APHIS Next 50 Years/

Strategic Planning Initiative. The Initiative was led by two teams, the Strategic 

Planning Working Group and the Strategic Foresight Team. By scanning 

literature, reviewing past conversations with stakeholders, and leaning on 

program expertise, the teams identified 10 trends with the potential to impact 

APHIS in the next 20 to 30 years. This glimpse into the future informed our 

2023-2027 Strategic Plan and helped us identify actions we can take now 

to prepare for the future. You’ll find that information in the boxes labeled 

“Preparing for Our Future.” In the coming years, this plan will guide our work 

and help us meet the needs of our stakeholders, our customers, and the 

American public. Over the next 5 years, we will monitor and measure progress 

towards our plan goals and objectives.

APHIS’ strength is our people. Time and again—when faced with tremendous 

challenges—the APHIS workforce has used its scientific expertise, business 

acumen, and policy knowledge to find a solution. As we look ahead and strive 

to be a global leader in agricultural health, we will continue to cultivate a 

talented, diverse, and public service-focused workforce where employees are 

supported, valued, and engaged. 

The best way to honor our past is to continue looking towards our future. 

With that in mind, I am pleased to present our Strategic Plan for fiscal 

years (FY) 2023–2027.

Sincerely,

Kevin Shea, Administrator

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

U.S. Department of Agriculture

A Message from the Administrator
4 Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Mission

Protecting the health, welfare, 

and value of our Nation’s plants, 

animals, and natural resources. 

• Integrity and Trust

• Accountability

• Public Service

• Diversity, Inclusion, Equity

and Accessibility

• Collaboration and Teamwork

• Commitment

• Innovation and Creativity

Core Values

Healthy Plants, Healthy Animals, Healthy People
Fiscal Years 2023–2027 Strategic Plan 5

Vision

A global leader that uses innovative 

and proven solutions to ensure 

the health of plants, animals, the 

environment, and people.

Stakeholders

We consult with and engage a wide range of 

stakeholders to ensure our strategies and programs 

are effective. Our stakeholders include people 

whose activities we regulate, such as animal 

and plant importers and exporters, livestock 

producers, growers, biotechnology developers, 

trading partners, scientists and researchers, and 

those who are subject to Animal Welfare Act and 

Horse Protection Act requirements. They are State 

officials, Tribal partners, government regulators, and 

cooperators who help us carry out our mission. They 

are people and organizations dealing with wildlife 

conflicts, travelers, and members of the public who 

are seeking services or information from us.

Photo: Adobe Stock
6 Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Future Trends

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1 4

2

The United States—including the 

agriculture community—has faced many 

changes over the past 50 years. The 

world is constantly transforming, and as 

a result, we expect to face more changes 

over the next 20 to 30 years. Uncertainties 

are expected, as is the accelerating pace 

of change. To better prepare for the 

future and these uncertainties, APHIS has 

incorporated strategic foresight into its 

strategic planning process. APHIS scanned 

the literature, revisited past conversations 

with stakeholders, and leaned on program 

expertise to identify and analyze trends. 

Ten trends, with the greatest potential 

to impact the Agency, are featured 

here in the strategic plan. These trends 

have influenced the plan’s goals and 

objectives. They were also considered 

in the development of tactics so that we 

can better prepare in the next 5 years to 

meet these future challenges. 

Security threats

are on the rise and risk

mitigation measures across 

all environments will increase 

and frequently change. 

Data analytics 

increasingly support decision and 

policy making as a result of 

big data availability, ongoing

requirements, and expectations 

around accessible evidence.

Climate change threats 

continue to mount and

expand in scope, intensity,

and variety.

Political, geographical,

and economic division 

continues in the country,

decreasing trust in

government programs.
Fiscal Years 2023–2027 Strategic Plan 7

8

6 9

5

7 10

Scientific and

technological advances 

provide new opportunities

and challenges.

Stakeholder networks 

and cooperators 

are shifting because of changing 

production practices and new 

opportunities and risks.

Changing workforce

needs flexible skillsets to

quickly adapt; employees must 

continually acquire new skills 

throughout their career.

Perceptions of animal 

welfare and wildlife 

are evolving, increasing pressure 

on related government activities.

Global health threats 

are increasing, with greater and 

more frequent impacts, requiring 

coordinated response from public 

and private entities. 

Globalization

is escalating demands for the

enforcement of phytosanitary and 

zoosanitary standards, causing 

unintended consequences, such

as supply chain disruptions.
8 Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Strategic Goal 1 

Protect agriculture from plant and animal diseases 

and pests 
Fiscal Years 2023–2027 Strategic Plan 9

American agriculture faces many 

threats, including foreign and 

domestic diseases and pests, 

biological events resulting from 

emerging infectious disease threats, 

risks associated with biotechnology, 

and threats of terror posed by 

groups seeking to use biological 

weapons. These diseases, pests, and 

biological events have the potential 

to impact agricultural production, 

trade, and the economy. 

To protect agriculture, it is critical 

to identify threats early so APHIS 

can take the necessary actions to 

prevent entry and avoid prolonged 

damage. Our focus is to ensure that 

all Americans have consistent access 

to safe, nutritious, and affordable 

food. Because these threats are 

ever-changing, APHIS must adjust 

its strategies for identifying diseases 

and pests and applying appropriate 

mitigation measures. 

By working collaboratively with 

Federal, State, and Tribal partners 

and stakeholders, APHIS can rapidly 

respond to an agricultural disease or 

pest outbreak. APHIS actively engages 

other Federal, State, and local governments; Tribal Nations; and industry to 

advance their emergency preparedness and response capabilities. 

If a pest or disease is established 

in the country, APHIS works with 

its partners and stakeholders to 

eradicate or manage the pest or 

disease to minimize its impact on 

the economy. 

APHIS will continue to ensure the 

availability, safety, purity, potency, 

and effectiveness of veterinary 

biologics and provide oversight of 

genetically engineered organisms. 

We will continue to conduct 

diagnostic laboratory activities and 

provide technology development 

to support plant protection 

programs. The Agency will continue 

to investigate alleged violations of 

APHIS-administered laws and issue 

enforcement actions. 

Below are examples of tactics for 

achieving the objectives under this 

strategic goal.

Objective 1: Prevent plant 

and animal diseases and 

pests from entering the 

country

 Perform enhanced, robust

inspection of people and things

entering the United States that

pose a disease or pest threat

 Provide support for surveillance,

control, and containment of 

African swine fever (ASF) in the 

Caribbean and prepare for a 

potential domestic incursion

 Develop, maintain, and improve 

commodity or disease surveillance 

plans, ensuring the plans include 

units across APHIS and State and 

Federal partners, as appropriate 

 Focus investigative and enforcement resources on the most serious

violations that pose the greatest risk 

to American agriculture 

 Manage diseases and pests

established in other countries by

working with our foreign counterparts and local communities

within these countries

Objective 2: Manage plant 

and animal diseases and 

pests established in the 

country

 Analyze outbreak data to develop 

the most effective methods

for preventing and mitigating

future outbreaks, complete risk

analyses to improve control and

eradication efforts, and advance

innovative solutions to control

and eradicate diseases

 Utilize program review and pest

risk analysis to clarify strategy

and improve the effectiveness of 

the Phytophthora ramorum

program

 Expand the use of performance

measures, risk-based approaches,

and analyses to create a more

integrated and strategic national

surveillance approach for plants

 Continue conducting field-level

surveillance for animal diseases

and plant pests and diseases of 

concern

Objective 3: Ensure 

effective emergency 

preparedness and response

 Develop an adequate number of

highly trained core responders 

 Coordinate, deliver, and

document National Incident

Management System and

Incident Command System training for APHIS Incident Management Teams and volunteers

 Develop and bring to production

more depopulation and disposal

options

 Provide enhanced learning

opportunities to ensure emergency 

responders can quickly assess risks 

and opportunities in emergency 

situations and integrate emergency 

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10 Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

response efforts into business 

services delivery 

 Improve communication with 

stakeholders and trading partners 

during disease and pest outbreaks 

and proactively engage Tribes  

 Engage government and industry 

partners in preparedness exercises

 Improve employee understanding 

and implementation of the APHIS 

Emergency Mobilization Guide and 

the Mandatory Mobilization Plan 

 Improve the country’s ability to 

recover after animal and plant 

health incidents and outbreaks

 Provide leadership in collaboration 

with Federal, State, local, Tribal, 

and Territorial agencies for creating 

comprehensive wildlife disease 

surveillance and emergency 

response capabilities and capacity

 Partner with local and urban 

farmers to teach them how to 

recognize and mitigate plant 

pests; partner with citizen 

scientists, non-profit organizations, 

and non-government organizations to find invasive pests 

 Continue to ensure personnel 

are highly trained in areas of 

animal diseases, plant pests 

and diseases, and all-hazard 

response and develop more 

personnel capacity to address 

emergency tour-of-duty 

response requests 

Objective 4: Ensure 

the availability, safety, 

purity, potency, and 

effectiveness of 

veterinary biologics

 Improve transparency in the 

licensure process with the public 

and industry  

 Provide guidance and instructions to regulated industry to 

enhance communication and 

relationship building 

 Expand use of alternative inspection processes, as well as onsite 

inspections 

 Conduct public outreach on how 

testing and assurance of safety, 

purity, potency, and effectiveness 

of veterinary biologics contributes 

to animal health and food safety, 

and how testing and assurance 

are performed to maximize safety

Objective 5: Ensure 

the development 

of safe agricultural 

biotechnology products 

using a science-based 

regulatory framework

 Conduct efficient risk-based 

permit review and issuance for 

organisms developed using 

genetic engineering to ensure 

they are safely contained or 

confined during movement

or release 

 Use plain language to clearly 

communicate APHIS regulations, 

expectations, and guidance to 

stakeholders, particularly those 

working with modified non-plant 

organisms potentially subject to 

APHIS regulations; help stakeholders understand regulations 

through outreach, workshops, 

toolkits, and other means  

 Work with the Environmental 

Protection Agency and the U.S. 

Food and Drug Administration 

to increase coordination and 

harmonization of regulatory 

oversight for biotechnology 

products within each agency’s 

existing statutory framework 

Objective 6: Ensure

timely and accurate 

diagnostic and other 

laboratory support 

and services

 Emphasize the practice of 

scientific discovery and method 

improvement with collaborations, developmental projects, 

and scholarships 

 Implement the VS Laboratory 

Approval Guidance to deliver 

an effective and clear approval 

process 

 Support both national and international laboratory networks by 

performing reference laboratory 

duties and partnering with them 

in animal and plant diagnostics

 Expand the use of molecular 

diagnostics to support plant 

health

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Fiscal Years 2023–2027 Strategic Plan 11

Preparing for Our Future

Below are examples of actions we will take now and in the near future to 

prepare for the challenges and opportunities presented by the future trends:

 Develop and implement a plan to monitor, maintain, and update medical 

clearance information to ensure adequate personnel are available for 

emergency responses (Trend 1)

 Coordinate unified responses to inquiries of assistance regarding biosafety 

and security, promote information sharing, and develop strategies and 

policies specific to biosafety and security (Trend 1)

 Advance methods development and other solutions to reduce the use of 

methyl bromide (Trends 1 and 3)

 In partnership with the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture 

and the National Plant Board, develop a unified strategy for the spotted 

lanternfly program and a plan to implement the strategy (Trends 1, 8, and 9)

 Expand the National Animal Vaccine and Veterinary Countermeasures Bank 

and leverage the National Veterinary Stockpile to ensure our ability to identify 

criticalities, collaborate with various partners and the public, and ready our 

employees to respond to emergency outbreaks (Trends 4, 5, and 9)

 Oversee the relocation and stand up of APHIS’ Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic 

Laboratory from Plum Island, NY, to the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility 

in Manhattan, KS, to ensure diagnostic efforts are collaborative, advanced, and 

accurate to address new and emerging threats to animal health (Trend 9)
12 Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Strategic Goal 2

Cultivate a talented, diverse, and public servicefocused workforce where employees are supported, 

valued, and engaged
Fiscal Years 2023–2027 Strategic Plan 13

Of the estimated 2.2 million Federal 

employees, 43 percent are ages 

50 and older. For APHIS, that 

percentage is slightly higher, at 

46 percent. Over the next 5 years, 

APHIS will use recruitment and 

knowledge transfer strategies to 

transfer institutional knowledge 

and ensure we maintain a 

sustainable, diverse workforce as 

workers leave the Agency. APHIS 

will implement strategies to retain 

employees, including investing in 

developmental opportunities to 

build talent from within. 

APHIS will provide an environment 

where employees are safe, 

supported, valued, and engaged in 

the shared mission and direction 

of the Agency. The Agency 

will encourage changes that 

support employee creativity and 

innovation, work-life balance, and 

family-friendly policies to foster 

employee engagement.

APHIS will explore ways to reshape 

its workforce to better meet the 

service delivery needs of the 

American public now and in the 

future. APHIS will continue to look 

for new ways to deliver our services 

efficiently and effectively, in the face 

of a new fiscal reality. 

Below are examples of tactics for 

achieving the objectives under this 

strategic goal.

Objective 1: Recruit

new talent 

 Fully implement the APHIS 

Recruitment Plan to strategically 

recruit new talent 

 Build and strengthen partnerships with universities and 

colleges to identify graduates to 

recruit, provide internships, and 

help educate the next generation 

of APHIS employees

 Offer remote duty designations to 

broaden the pool of candidates 

Objective 2: Empower and 

engage employees

 Establish APHIS-wide and 

program-specific employee 

engagement strategies  

 Innovate workforce development 

to provide employees with greater 

career opportunities, including 

increasing career ladder opportunities and re-evaluating existing 

ladders for support positions  

 Provide training and other learning opportunities for employees 

to acquire new skills throughout 

their careers

 Encourage and support 

participation in APHIS 

leadership training, mentoring, 

and coaching programs  

 Implement succession planning 

for technical positions 

 Create opportunities for cross 

training employees 

 Facilitate collaborative relationships with bargaining units 

 Launch the Veterinary Services 

(VS) Career Guide and other 

programs to empower functional 

leadership and development 

while mentoring employees and 

providing career field advice

Objective 3: Improve 

equity and inclusion 

 Partner with USDA Mission Areas 

to grow internships and expand 

employment opportunities to 

diverse populations 

 Expand AgDiscovery by engaging 

alumni to conduct outreach 

at schools

 Partner with community organizations to promote internships 

and employment opportunities 

to diverse populations 

 Provide employees with training 

on unconscious bias

Objective 4: Deliver 

outstanding services

to the public

 Modernize and streamline Agency 

regulations and issue more 

flexible regulations

 Consider non-regulatory 

solutions for emerging issues

 Ensure Agency services are 

efficient, effective, accessible, 

and equitable to all
14 Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

 Serve as good stewards of public 

resources, setting goals and priorities using science and evidence 

based decision-making and 

strategic and foresight planning

 Protect and promote U.S. 

agriculture and natural resources 

by ensuring Agency activities 

are environmentally sound and 

within acceptable animal welfare 

standards

Objective 5: Promote 

safety and wellness 

 Identify employee wellness needs, 

recalibrate wellness programs for 

the hybrid workforce, and identify 

work/life flexibilities 

 Enhance safety training for staff

in different work settings 

 Increase messaging that focuses 

on the new work environment, 

managing risk, building capabilities, and identifying best safety 

practices

 Use current Office of Property 

and Environmental Management 

guidance for calculating space 

needs in the hybrid environment 

and reimagine space use to 

maximize information sharing, 

relationship building, and 

collaboration  

Objective 6: Create 

sustainable and costeffective IT solutions

 Engage business partners 

in collaborative investment 

reviews and deliver effective 

investment reporting  

 Seek stakeholder feedback on 

public-facing systems and 

implement improvements based 

on that feedback 

 Build a cybersecurity risk 

management program/system

to capture and manage cybersecurity risk across the mission area  

 Enhance the Customer Service 

and Investment Review Boards’ 

ability to anticipate IT needs and 

implement solutions   

 Use mapping technology for 

remote surveillance of regulated 

activities  

 Develop IT strategy and infrastructure recommendations, as well as 

a roadmap for IT data systems and 

integration and data acquisition 

and storage applications 

Preparing for Our Future

Below are examples of actions we will take now and in the near future to prepare 

for the challenges and opportunities presented by the future trends:

 Promote a secure workforce by creating a safety recognition program (Trend 1)

 Modernize data management strategies (Trend 4)

 Identify and implement technological improvements to enhance remote and 

hybrid work environments (Trends 5 and 10)  

 Establish and implement a strategic human capital plan and develop a modernized, 

structured, and systemic approach to recruitment (Trend 10)

 Improve the customer experience, particularly for digital services and IT enterprise systems (Trend 4)
Fiscal Years 2023–2027 Strategic Plan 15

Strategic Goal 3 

Reduce the impacts of zoonotic and emerging 

diseases and climate change 

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16 Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Seventy-five percent of emerging 

infectious diseases affecting humans 

are zoonotic, meaning they move 

between animals and people. There 

has been a surge in outbreaks of 

zoonotic diseases over the past 2 

decades. Often, we were unaware of 

the potential threat until we started 

seeing illness and death in people. 

Early detection and response to 

zoonotic and emerging diseases 

while still in animals is essential 

in limiting or preventing human 

outbreaks. APHIS will strengthen its 

ability to prevent, detect, report, and 

respond to emerging and zoonotic 

diseases.

Working collaboratively with other 

Federal agencies, APHIS will build 

an early warning system to alert 

public health partners so steps can 

be taken sooner to prevent or limit 

the next zoonotic disease outbreak. 

As a result of these efforts, we will 

safeguard animal health, prevent 

disease transmission between 

animals and people, and minimize 

potential impacts to the food supply. 

At the same time, we recognize that 

climate change presents a threat 

to our ability to fully achieve our 

mission and advance our strategic 

goals. We don’t anticipate needing 

to modify our regulatory authority; 

however, we do expect that new 

regulations and policies, as well as 

non-regulatory approaches, may 

be required. APHIS will incorporate 

mitigation and management 

strategies including predictive 

modeling tools into its programs to 

reduce and adapt to the effects of 

climate change and build resilience 

in the Agency for the benefit of 

our employees, partners, and 

stakeholders.

Below are examples of tactics for 

achieving the objectives under this 

strategic goal. 

Objective 1: Strengthen 

prevention, surveillance, 

monitoring, and response 

to emerging and zoonotic 

diseases

 Implement operational plans and 

procedures for zoonotic disease 

engagement, investigation, and 

response; antimicrobial resistance; global health security; and 

associated outreach and education using a One Health approach 

 Develop, implement, and coordinate One Health activities, strategies and policies, and response 

 Enhance capacity to detect 

zoonotic and emerging diseases 

such as SARS-CoV-2 by increasing 

surveillance in wildlife and building diagnostic capacity for testing 

wildlife samples

 Analyze surveillance data to 

improve program effectiveness 

and efficiency

 Develop methods to increase 

public awareness of how APHIS 

responds to emerging and 

zoonotic diseases

Objective 2: Strengthen 

pathway analysis and 

targeting of plant and 

animal products that pose 

a threat to people, animals, 

and the environment

 Strengthen efforts to mitigate 

risks from imported plant and 

animal products 

 Support developing models of 

animal and product movement 

 Increase personnel with specialized skill sets to better evaluate 

trade risks and effective mitigations 

 Use results of pathways analyses to identify risk “hotspots” 

for wildlife disease incursions 

and promote wildlife disease 

surveillance efforts in susceptible 

animal populations 

 Lead the Tuberculosis (TB) 

Initiative to solve complex 

problems with zoonotic TB 

 Implement the National List of 

Reportable Animal Diseases 

Objective 3: Mitigate and 

adapt to the effects of 

climate change

 Implement and regularly update 

the APHIS Climate Change 

Adaption Plan, which considers 

challenges related to climate 

change and describes actions we 

can take to mitigate its impacts 

 Incorporate climate change 

scenarios when evaluating the 

plant pest risk associated with 

biotechnology products 

 Work with Federal partners 

to develop clear, efficient, 

predictable, and risk-based 

regulatory pathways for safely 

bringing microbial and other 

new products that help address 
Fiscal Years 2023–2027 Strategic Plan 17

climate change to market, and 

help developers of such products 

navigate our regulatory system 

 Address increased pest resilience 

due to climate change using 

risk-based approaches and

data analytics 

 Work with partners on predictive modeling to identify trends 

and future scenarios for pest 

movements and risks based 

on climate change impacts on 

ranges, lifecycles, and habitats

 Consider climate change when 

assessing pest risk pathways 

and the pest risk of commodities 

presented for market access 

 Prioritize environmentally friendly 

mitigations for plant pest and 

disease response 

 Implement strategies to respond 

to the movement of vectors 

(organisms, such as insects, that 

can transmit disease to other 

organisms) from warmer climates, 

addressing the transmission potential for vector-borne disease spread 

 Maximize support for Executive 

Order 14057: Catalyzing Clean 

Energy Industries and Jobs 

Through Federal Sustainability 

and Executive Order 14008: 

Tackling the Climate Crisis at 

Home and Abroad 

Preparing for Our Future

Below are examples of actions we will take now and in the near future to prepare for 

the challenges and opportunities presented by the future trends:

 Invest in novel eradication strategies to mitigate the impacts of climate change 

(Trend 2)

 Target pest populations as climate change impacts distribution patterns and 

behaviors and address increased pest resilience (Trends 2, 4, and 9)

 Enhance monitoring and surveillance to identify areas of expanding humanwildlife conflicts resulting from range shifting and expansion, habitat loss, and 

extreme climate events (Trends 2 and 7)

 Build a robust surveillance system to mitigate risks presented by zoonotic 

diseases, including SARS-CoV-2 and other new or emerging disease (Trend 9)

 Identify and prioritize global health threats emerging at the wildlife-domestic 

animal-human interface and develop monitoring and response capacity (Trend 9)
18 Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Strategic Goal 4 

Maintain and expand the safe trade of agricultural 

products nationally and internationally 

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Fiscal Years 2023–2027 Strategic Plan 19

APHIS plays an important role 

in facilitating the safe trade of 

agricultural products. We ensure 

that U.S. farmers and exporters can 

sell their products around the world, 

facilitating the movement of more 

than $170 billion in U.S. agricultural 

goods. The Agency’s efforts include:

 Keeping U.S. agricultural industries free from pests and diseases,

 Certifying that U.S. agricultural 

and food products shipped to 

markets abroad meet the importing countries’ entry requirements,

 Partnering with other countries to 

develop international standards,

 Removing trade barriers by 

monitoring and enforcing

existing trade agreements, and

 Negotiating trade agreements 

that benefit the U.S. agricultural 

economy. 

APHIS also builds regulatory 

capacity in developing countries to 

facilitate trade and develop future 

markets. Helping other countries 

strengthen their capacity allows them 

to participate in the safe trade of 

agricultural products. 

With the growing complexity of the 

global supply chain network, the 

need to manage risks associated with 

trade, both import and export, have 

never been greater. There is a need 

for new intervention policies, tools, 

and strategies to mitigate these risks. 

Below are examples of tactics for 

achieving the objectives under this 

strategic goal.

Objective 1: Facilitate 

safe agricultural trade 

through the effective 

management of sanitary 

and phytosanitary issues

 Conduct plant and animal health 

negotiations with other countries 

during technical bilateral meetings, 

using science and international 

standards to resolve trade issues. 

These negotiations result in protocols that both countries agree will 

sufficiently minimize the pest or 

animal disease risk of an imported 

or exported agricultural product. 

 Monitor trends across many 

platforms, information resources, 

and stakeholder inputs to advance 

APHIS programs and issues 

 Monitor and scan for the 

emergence of new scientific 

findings and threats 

 Establish the Joint Agency Group to 

support the U.S.- Canada Coordinated Phytosanitary Mitigation 

Framework and develop an action 

plan to implement the framework 

 Implement the joint U.S. Customs 

and Border Protection (CBP)-APHIS 

Strategic Plan, which will guide 

program activities and set mission 

priorities over the next 5 years 

Objective 2: Maintain 

and expand the Agency’s 

leadership role through 

international standard 

setting and collaboration

 Strengthen collaboration with 

other standard-setting organizations especially the World 

Organisation of Animal Health and 

the International Plant Protection 

Convention

 Promote engagement, collaboration, and harmonization of agricultural biotechnology regulation with 

trading partners, the Organization 

for Economic Cooperation and 

Development, and other international and regional organizations 

 Advance trade harmonization by 

suggesting and supporting International and Regional standard 

setting activities for sea containers, 

e-commerce and e-phyto

Objective 3: Create safe 

export opportunities 

 Develop scientifically-sound risk 

identification and risk analyses for 

U.S. sanitary and phytosanitary 

exports to support trade in safe 

animals, plants, and animal plant 

products and by-products 

 Support development of climatesmart commodities to ensure 

access to international markets 

for low-carbon goods and carbon 

capture 

 Communicate to international 

stakeholders about APHIS’ 

processes and share outcomes

of biotechnology product 

evaluations 

 Work with trade agencies on 

technical aspects of trade in 

biotechnology products

 Work with the regulatory authorities of U.S. trading partners to 

further harmonize regulatory 

frameworks for biotechnology 

products

Objective 4: Anticipate 

and communicate supply 

chain issues to domestic 

stakeholders and trading 

partners

 Analyze and forecast trade and 

economic trends related to 

agricultural trade activities 

 Acquire data from and share data 

with international organizations to 

support global agricultural trade 
20 Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Preparing for Our Future

Below are examples of actions we will take now and in the near future to prepare 

for the challenges and opportunities presented by the future trends:

 Leverage science and technology to deliver healthy agricultural products around 

the world (Trend 5)

 Sustain market access and growth through a trade agenda that is worker- and 

market-oriented and science- and rules-based (Trends 5 and 8)

 Maintain direct contact with foreign quarantine inspectors and local importers 

and exporters to anticipate and communicate supply chain issues to domestic 

stakeholders and trading partners (Trend 8) 

 Expand and diversify export markets (Trend 8)
Fiscal Years 2023–2027 Strategic Plan 21

 raccoo

Strategic Goal 5 

Manage wildlife damage and threats to agriculture, 

natural resources, property, and people 

 
22 Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

APHIS provides expertise to 

resolve conflicts between people 

and wildlife. Using an integrated 

approach, the Agency facilitates 

coexistence to protect agriculture, 

natural resources (including 

threatened and endangered 

species), property and 

infrastructure, and public health 

and safety. In the United States, 

wildlife is managed based on the 

Public Trust Doctrine. It is a public 

resource held in trust and managed 

by the government for present 

and future generations. Wildlife 

Services focuses on science-based 

wildlife damage management. 

This includes protecting resources, 

health, and safety from damage 

or other problems caused by or 

related to the presence of wildlife. 

It is an integral part of the wildlife 

management profession and is 

essential to conserving our Nation’s 

wildlife resources. 

Each year, APHIS responds to 

hundreds of thousands of requests 

from farmers, ranchers, and others 

for help with reducing the impact 

of predators on their animals. The 

cattle, sheep, and goat industries 

alone report $232 million in 

livestock losses to predation, 

annually. APHIS assisted 23,461 

livestock producers in protecting 

their livestock from predators 

through the use of integrated 

damage management methods 

and tools. APHIS also helps protect 

the aviation community across the 

Nation to reduce wildlife hazards 

to aviation. In 2022, APHIS assisted 

813 civil and military airports 

worldwide, including about 75 

percent of all U.S. commercial 

passenger airports, to reduce or 

avoid wildlife strike hazards to 

protect people and aircraft. In 

addition, we help natural resource 

agencies protect threatened and 

endangered species and public 

health agencies distribute millions 

of oral rabies vaccine baits to 

reduce rabies in wildlife and 

prevent disease spread to people, 

livestock, and pets. 

Below are examples of tactics for 

achieving the objectives under this 

strategic goal.

Objective 1: Strengthen 

wildlife disease prevention, 

surveillance, and response

 Enhance coordination and 

collaboration in research and 

management to prevent the 

spread of key terrestrial rabies 

variants in wild carnivores while 

working toward eliminating 

rabies in carnivores in North 

America 

 Enhance coordination and 

implement surveillance for avian 

influenza in wild birds in all four 

migratory bird flyways

 Improve coordination of laboratory submissions, referrals, and 

reporting of highly pathogenic 

avian influenza to stakeholders, 

industry, and the public

 Identify areas at high risk for 

foreign animal disease introduction across the geographic 

range of feral swine and develop 

processes and protocols to best 

target these areas for operational activities and feral swine 

sampling, including expanding 

activities to include feral swine 

that are currently not accessible

Objective 2: Research 

and implement new and 

improved tools to enhance 

integrated wildlife damage 

management programs

 Implement science-based and 

non-lethal (where feasible) 

methods and new technology 

to mitigate wildlife damage and 

reduce threats posed by diseases 

to agriculture (including livestock 

and aquaculture), property, 

human health and safety, and 

natural resources 

Objective 3: Protect 

public health and 

safety by managing 

negative human/wildlife 

interactions 

 Expand and improve collaborative efforts to enhance public 

safety within the aviation 

community through sciencebased assistance by investigating 

methods and addressing wildlife 

hazards that meet continuing 

demands for safe air operations 

of civil and military partners, the 

aviation industry, and the traveling public 

Objective 4: Reduce 

damage from invasive 

species and protect 

resources, critical 

habitats, and species 

of concern

 Decrease damage caused by feral 

swine to agricultural, livestock, 

property, ecological, and human 

health and safety. Prevent establishment of new populations by 
Fiscal Years 2023–2027 Strategic Plan 23

monitoring in areas where they 

are likely to be found but their 

presence hasn’t been confirmed 

 Prevent escape of brown tree 

snakes from Guam and decrease 

tree snake populations near 

military and civilian ports of exit 

to safeguard health and human 

safety and protect infrastructure 

and natural resources on neighboring islands and the U.S. 

mainland 

 Continue strengthening partnerships and providing training 

and technical advice to Western 

Pacific neighbors to improve 

inspections of aircraft, vessels, 

and cargo arriving from Guam

 Detect and remove invasive 

nutria to protect the Chesapeake 

Bay and other critical coastal and 

inland wetland habitats

Objective 5: Strengthen 

and expand partnerships 

at the national level 

 Increase partnerships with 

local, State, and Federal entities 

and universities to increasingly 

leverage disease surveillance 

and research opportunities 

associated with existing wildlife 

damage management activities

 Provide outreach to Federal, 

State, Tribal, and international 

partners and the public about 

APHIS’ role in reducing conflicts 

between people and wildlife, 

detecting and controlling 

wildlife diseases, and protecting 

natural resources 

 Working with State and 

Federal partners to provide 

Federal leadership to industry, 

organizations and natural 

resource agencies for an effective, 

ecologically sound, and socially 

responsible integrated wildlife 

damage management program 

that is responsive to a changing 

world

 Build and expand coalitions 

of producers, industry, and 

government agencies at 

multiple levels to collaboratively resolve wildlife conflicts 

negatively impacting livestock 

and agriculture production 

Preparing for Our Future

Below are examples of actions we will take now and in the near future to prepare 

for the challenges and opportunities presented by the future trends:

 Implement an expanded Non-Lethal Initiative Program to include beaver 

damage management and expand use and recommendations of the integrated 

management approach to protect agriculture, human safety, and other

resources (Trend 1)

 Enhance collaborative efforts to identify and address invasive species in island 

habitats (Trends 1 and 6)

 Seek opportunities to conduct opportunistic sampling techniques to better 

understand changes in pest and animal disease vector home ranges (Trend 4) 

 Continue to emphasize the development of species-specific methods (Trend 5)

 Develop and implement biological and science-based standards to perform 

disease surveillance rather than rely on pre-existing administrative boundaries 

(Trend 6)
24 Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Strategic Goal 6 

Promote the welfare of animals 
Fiscal Years 2023–2027 Strategic Plan 25

APHIS ensures the humane 

treatment of animals covered by the 

Animal Welfare Act (AWA), works to 

eliminate soring and promote fair 

competition at events covered by 

the Horse Protection Act (HPA), and 

provides national leadership on the 

safety and well-being of pets and 

other animals in disasters. Annually, 

APHIS conducts over 10,000 

inspections of approximately 8,000 

licensed or registered facilities and 

inspects over 1,500 horses at shows 

and other events. 

APHIS is amending the AWA 

regulations and developing bird 

standards to ensure their humane 

care and treatment. These standards 

would govern humane care, 

treatment, and transportation. 

The following are examples of tactics 

for achieving the objectives under 

the strategic goal.

Objective 1: Ensure

the humane treatment

of animals covered by

the AWA

 Conduct inspections to ensure 

substantial compliance with 

the AWA 

 Update and enhance regulations 

to improve animal welfare 

 Provide outreach and education 

to promote compliance and best 

practices 

 Use data-driven decision-making 

and analysis to make effective 

use of resources 

 Move more quickly to confiscate 

animals at extreme risk, as 

authorized

 Streamline enforcement review 

for critical cases and improve 

AWA enforcement timeliness

 Increase AWA inspections by five 

percent over FY 2022

 Implement the final rule to 

establish new regulations and 

standards governing the humane 

handling, care, treatment, and 

transportation of birds covered 

by the AWA including distributing 

educational literature on the bird 

rule

 Increase the usage of the 

self-service customer portal to 

25 percent through enhanced 

marketing, education, and 

awareness to internal and 

external stakeholders

 Strengthen partnerships with 

State agencies to increase the 

speed and effectiveness of 

enforcement actions

Objective 2: Eliminate 

soring and promote fair 

competition at events 

covered by the HPA

 Support a strong focus on 

enforcement 

 Increase the number of HPA 

events attended by 50 percent 

over FY 2022

 Continue ongoing outreach efforts 

targeting both competitors and 

event attendees

Objective 3: Assist stakeholders with planning and 

preparedness to ensure 

the safety and welfare of 

animals during disasters 

 Provide outreach and education 

to stakeholders to promote 

compliance and best practices 

 Strengthen partnerships with 

industry groups, State, Federal, 

and Tribal entities 

 Engage with emergency response 

partners at the local, State, and 

Federal levels to ensure the 

safety and welfare of animals is 

considered in exercises, planning 

activities, and disaster response 

operations, inclusive of

sheltering operations 

 Use evidence based trend analysis 

to facilitate conversations with 

partners and potential partners 

to on potential preparedness and 

response strategies

 Monitor trends and issues with 

the potential to have significant 

impact on current and future 

efforts to ensure animal welfare in 

emergency response situations
26 Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Preparing for Our Future

Below, are examples of the actions we will take right now and in the near future 

to prepare for the challenges and opportunities presented by the future trends:

 Implement contingency planning regulations to minimize negative impacts

on animal welfare from a multitude of threats, mitigate potential risks to 

human health resulting from exposure to zoonotic diseases, and evaluate

their effectiveness (Trends 1, 2, and 9) 

 Promote and advance good animal welfare through enforcing and advancing 

science-based regulations, outreach, and education (Trends 5 and 7)

 Use cutting-edge technology from recent advances in science in conjunction 

with veterinary evaluations to detect soring in horses (Trends 5 and 7)
Fiscal Years 2023–2027 Strategic Plan 27

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and 

employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, 

gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance 

program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all 

programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, 

etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 

877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at How to File a Program Discrimination Complaint and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a 

copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant 

Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: program.intake@usda.gov.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. Issued April 2023. 

All photos from USDA, except where indicated.
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