Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Wednesday approved Commodity Credit Corporation funding to assist USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service response to highly pathogenic avian influenza. The virus has been confirmed in 29 states, affecting more than 33 million domestic birds.
APHIS is working closely with state animal health officials on joint incident responses in each affected state. To help ensure APHIS can continue to provide critical rapid response activities, Vilsack approved the transfer of nearly $263 million from the CCC to APHIS to directly support the response efforts. The funding allows APHIS to continue its work with state and local partners to quickly identify and address cases of HPAI in the United States.
The Secretary is authorized to transfer funding from available resources to address emergency outbreaks of animal and plant pests and diseases. Secretary Vilsack previously approved the use of approximately $130 million in emergency funding in mid-March.
(From the National Association of Farm Broadcasters)