The possibility of a foreign animal diseases disrupting animal agricultural production in the united states continues to be a signif icant concern

The University of Maine System, through its University of Maine division, was awarded a $400,802 Cooperative Agreement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) under the "Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal Care" (CFDA 10.025) grant program. The goal of this two-year project is to train 75 animal agriculture sector responders on carcass disposal and waste management techniques, particularly through the use of composting, to better prepare for foreign animal disease outbreaks or natural disasters. A key component is also the development of a credentialing system and continuing education guidelines for subject matter experts in animal mortality management. This initiative aims to address regional gaps in expertise and establish a more robust technical cadre to support USDA-APHIS in utilizing environmentally sustainable practices during future disease events.

Particularly with african swine fever in the dominican republic and haiti and the disease's threat to the US HOG industry. Proper and timely management of animal carcasses during an event is critical to the maintenance of our food security. In the event of an outbreak in the US, large numbers of livestock may DIE or need to be euthanized for welfare reasons or to contain the outbreak. Many tools will be needed to manage a large outbreak. Composting may be the best option environmentally and economically. USDA, state agencies and industry recognize that there is an insufficient number of trained compost subject matter experts (SME) to assist during an event. This was evident during the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak in both 2015 and 2022. Several issues became apparent during the HPAI outbreak. There are regional gaps in SME's availability particularly in high-density protein production areas. Additionally, there is a need to develop a system for credentialing compost smes and develop a clear hierarchy of experience levels. Specific compost training will be developed to train personnel in mortality management through composting in the event of a foreign animal disease or natural disaster. Another initiative will be to develop a credentialing system and continuing education guidelines for current smes. One goal is to train 75 animal agriculture sector responders that support carcass disposal and waste management during a disease event. Training will provide participants with compost technical information, tools and skills to manage large volumes of carcass mortalities through experiential learning. Training opportunities will be in the underserved regions of USDA aphis service areas. A second goal is to create an SME credentialing system. This will maintain a well-trained technical cadre of smes. Developing a clear cast structure will better define the SME roles and responsibilities. This program will better prepare USDA- aphis to use less expensive and environmentally sustainable practices during an outbreak.