The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is continuing its efforts as part of the agency’s Farm Bill programs to advance animal disease preparedness and response. APHIS is seeking project proposals for fiscal year (FY) 2021 funding for the National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program (NADPRP) and the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN). The agency is also announcing its next round of purchases for the National Animal Vaccine and Veterinary Countermeasures Bank (NAVVCB). The 2018 Farm Bill provided funding for these programs as part of an overall strategy to help prevent animal pests and diseases from entering the United States and reduce the spread and impact of potential disease incursions through advance planning and preparedness.
In FY 2021, APHIS will make available up to $20 million in funds for NADPRP and NAHLN. Proposals must be submitted by 11:59 PM EDT on August 6, 2021.
NADPRP
NADPRP addresses the risk of introduction and spread of high-consequence animal pests and diseases through cooperative or interagency agreements between APHIS and States, universities, livestock producer organizations, Tribal organizations, land-grant universities, and other eligible entities. This program allows APHIS to collaborate with animal health partners throughout the nation to implement high-value projects that enhance prevention, preparedness, detection, and response to the most damaging emerging and foreign animal diseases that threaten U.S. agriculture. Up to $10 million will be targeted for NADPRP projects focused on developing and/or enhancing state and tribal vaccination plans for foreign animal disease (FAD) outbreaks; supporting animal movement decisions in an FAD outbreak; and delivering outreach and education on animal disease prevention, preparedness and response topics to targeted audiences.
Application instructions and additional information are available on the NADPRP website. Applicants can also find information on the on the ezFedGrants website or the Grants.govwebsite by searching CFDA number 10.025 or Funding Opportunity Number USDA-APHIS-10025-VSSP0000-22-0001.
NAHLN
The NAHLN is a nationally-coordinated network and partnership of Federal, State, and university-associated animal health laboratories providing animal health diagnostic testing to detect both endemic and high-consequence pathogens in the nation’s food animals, which is vital to protecting animal health, public health, and the nation's food supply. These laboratories are the first line of defense for detecting animal diseases and pathogens. Should foreign animal disease strike, diagnosing and detecting the extent of the outbreak as rapidly as possible plays a key role in limiting the impact on producers.
APHIS will make a total of $5 million available to NAHLN. This will include $2.5 million to be provided to the NAHLN laboratories in support of infrastructure needs. Up to $2.5 million in additional funds will be provided through a competitive process targeting NAHLN projects focused on increasing capacity for disease testing, increasing capability to handle surge samples and enhancing laboratory emergency preparedness.
Application instructions and additional information are available on the NAHLN website or can be requested from the NAHLN program office [email protected].
NADPRP/NAHLN Joint Priority
New this year, APHIS will fund a third category of projects to address a joint priority identified by NADPRP and NAHLN).
Up to $5 million will be available for projects that support the development and/or evaluation of point-of-care diagnostic tests to enhance the nation’s ability to quickly detect high-consequence FADs and accelerate response and containment efforts.
Application instructions and additional information are available on the NADPRP website and on the NAHLN website. Applicants can also find information on the on the ezFedGrantswebsite or the Grants.gov website by searching CFDA number 10.025 or Funding Opportunity Number USDA-APHIS-10025-VSDB000-22-0001.
NAVVCB
The NAVVCB allows APHIS to stockpile animal vaccines and other related products, serving as an effective insurance policy in the extremely rare chance of an outbreak of certain high consequence foreign animal diseases, like foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) virus. APHIS will purchase an additional $14.9 million in FMD vaccine for the NAVVCB, which the agency would use in the event of an FMD outbreak. While we are confident we can keep FMD out of the country, as we have since 1929, having access to vaccine is an important insurance policy. This purchase will make more doses available should they be needed, which will enhance our rapid response capability. Vaccines can also be a critical tool to allow America’s farmers and ranchers to get back on their feet more quickly. More information about all of these programs is available at:https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/resources/farmbill.
