Provide monitoring and surveillance activities to ensure use of official identification and movement documentation of livestock, which will improve the ability of animal health officials to trace…

This Cooperative Agreement award, totaling $104,951.00, was provided 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 (CFDA 10.025) federal grant program. The purpose of the award is to support monitoring and surveillance activities to ensure the proper use of official livestock identification and movement documentation in West Virginia. The key activities to be performed include education and outreach at livestock events to promote tagging, traceability, and animal movement requirements, as well as the distribution of official identification devices to producers and the collection of related data in central databases. The intended beneficiaries are the agricultural industry and citizens of West Virginia, as the project aims to enhance the state's ability to successfully trace livestock and maintain disease-free status. The award period runs from April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026.

Purpose

The purpose of this agreement is to provide monitoring and surveillance activities to ensure use of official identification and movement documentation of livestock, which will improve the ability of animal health officials to trace covered animals when disease is found, to inform producers and other stakeholders of the ADT programs, and to ensure retirement of official identification at termination points. The primary focus will be to ensure that animals are officially identified as required; that they move interstate with required docu mentation; and that the identification devices are removed at termination points (slaughter or rendering facilities) as required.

Activities

Education and outreach will occur at livestock markets, show & sales, and other livestock events r egarding tagging, traceability, and animal movement requirements. The livestock market staff will be trained in utilization of rfid readers and applications to promote efficiency in disease traceability. Official ID devices will be distributed to producers with valid premise IDS within the state and data will be collected in usaherds and aims. The ADT coordinator will participate in national meetings to provide feedback regarding the program application in the field related to WV. Deliverables and expected outcomes: data will be available regarding tag distribution and test charts recorded in the database. Agendas will be available and sign in sheets from the national meeting attendance. Other outreach events will be documented according to state requirements. Intended beneficiary(IES): the agriculture industry in WV and the citizens & producers in WV will benefit from these objectives. The work wvda animal health has completed over the decades has resulted in west virginia being successful in national priority trace measures which is an indication of the ability to successfully trace livestock. This benefits the nation in development of disease-free status and traceability, which encourages trade. Subrecipient activities, if known or specified at the time of award: no