1.

This $130,194 Cooperative Agreement awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) under the Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal Care program (CFDA 10.025) will establish two Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) canine detector teams with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) personnel. The two canine teams will be used to conduct SLF surveys in Tennessee and the surrounding commercial nursery industry. The canine teams may also travel to assist with SLF surveys in other states. The expected outcomes are that the canine teams will detect SLF at lower population levels, enabling local eradication and reducing the spread of this invasive pest. The use of canine teams in the nursery industry is also expected to increase the likelihood of detecting hitchhiking SLF before shipments are sent to states not known to have the pest, while decreasing the time required for TDA to clear interstate nursery shipments. This award, which runs from September 1, 2024 to August 31, 2025, will benefit Tennessee farmers, the tourism industry, and other states not yet infested with Spotted Lanternfly.

Purpose

This cooperative agreement will establish two spotted lanternfly (SLF) canine detector canine teams with TN dept. Of agriculture (TDA) personnel handlers. 2.

Activities

The two canine teams will be used to conduct SLF survey in the TN environs and commercial nursery industry. There will also be the understanding that the two canine teams will travel to surrounding states to assist with SLF survey. 3. Deliverables and expected outcomes: due to the sensitively of the canine nose, IT is expected that SLF will be detected at lower population numbers increasing the possibility of local eradication and reducing the spread of the pest. Use of the teams in the nursery industry will increase the chance of finding hitchhikers before shipments are sent to states not know to have SLF while decreasing the time required for TDA to clear interstate shipments. 4. Intended beneficiary(IES): tennessee farmers, the tourism industry and receiving states not known to have SLF will benefit from canine teams' activities. Whether the results decreased time inspecting nursery stock, more successful local eradications and/or decreased likelihood of spread of SLF due to hitchhikers in the nursery stock trade. 5. Subrecipient activities, if known or specified at the time of award: N/a