WASHINGTON (August 12, 2019) – House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson of Minnesota and Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture Chairman Jim Costa of California issued statements Monday afternoon following USDA’s announcement of implementation by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of animal health programs authorized by the 2018 Farm Bill.

“I prioritized funding new tools to help the U.S. prevent and fight animal pests and diseases as part of the 2018 Farm Bill, and it’s good to see APHIS making some progress to implement these programs,” said Peterson. “I am glad to see that initial funds for the new National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program will be awarded before the end of 2019, and I and look forward to seeing a broader scope of needs addressed in future years. I am also pleased to see a continued recognition of the importance of the our National Animal Health Laboratory Network and a commitment to move forward on the newly-created National Vaccine and Veterinary Countermeasures Bank. Together, these programs will strengthen our farmers and ranchers’ ability to guard against outbreaks of diseases like African Swine Fever, avian influenza, and other critical animal health threats across the country.”

“This issue has been front and center for us, including at our May hearing with Under Secretary Ibach where I pressed him to implement these programs as soon as possible. I’m pleased by this first step and hope to soon see these programs up and running at full speed,” said Costa. “As Chair of the Livestock and Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee, I’m committed to working with APHIS to avoid and reduce the impacts of situations like the current outbreak of Virulent Newcastle Disease that has had an adverse impact on California’s poultry operations.”