Meet the needs for surveillance, preparedness, response, and outreach necessary to protect american agriculture and accomplish VS mission goals

The Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service awarded the Arizona Department of Agriculture a cooperative agreement totaling $117,078 on April 1, 2026, under the Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal Care program (CFDA 10.025).

The award funds surveillance, preparedness, response, and outreach activities across five commodity categories—avian, bovine, ovine, cervid, and swine—to support early detection and prevention of transboundary animal diseases and emerging foreign animal diseases. Arizona's location along the international border with Mexico creates heightened risk for disease incursion. Work encompasses active and passive surveillance, inspections and audits, data entry and recordkeeping, disease reporting, personnel training, emergency preparedness and response, and outreach and education. Avian activities include annual PCR testing for avian influenza, National Poultry Improvement Plan inspections, depopulation equipment exercises, and outreach. Bovine work includes monthly accreditation seminars on brucellosis, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, and tuberculosis; tuberculosis testing and granuloma submission; and slaughter plant inspections. Similar surveillance and inspection protocols apply to ovine, cervid, and swine commodities.

The period of performance runs April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2027, with all work performed in Arizona.

This award further supports arizona in early detection and prevention of transboundary animal diseases and emerging foreign animal diseases (fads), the incursion of which can be a growing threat due to the state sharing an international border with mexico. In this way, this award aids in the enhancement of homeland security, through supporting a secure agricultural industry. Food security is homeland security. Activities performed for each commodity (avian, cattle, one health, sheep/goat/cervid, swine) include: active and passive surveillance, inspections and audits, data entry and recordkeeping, disease reporting, personnel training, emergency preparedness and response, and outreach and education. Scope and frequency of commodity activities are outlined below and are explained in further detail within the cooperative agreement workbook: avian - annual testing of 25 PCR for avian influenza, with 2-4 fairs/shows sampled per year.; approximately 3-4 sick bird calls a quarter; approximately 12 national poultry improvement plan (npip) annual inspections with 2-4 new participants added per year.; approximately 10 hours a quarter of outreach; biennial exercise of initial state response and containment plan (isrcp); annual check and exercise of avian depopul ation equipment; record keeping of npip form 9-3 (approximately 1500/YR). Bovine - monthly accreditation seminars for outreach/education including brucellosis (BR), bovine spongiform encephalopathy AKA 'MAD COW disease' (BSE), and tuberculosis (TB) education; TB granulomas submitted (about 1 granuloma per 2,000 adult cattle at slaughter); TB tests performed the past fiscal year include 8 ,447 caudal fold tests (CFT), 133 cranial cervical tests (CCT), with 133 CCT/gamma reactors 133; slaughter plant quarterly inspections; complete national animal health reporting system (nahrs) / national list of reportable animal diseases (nlrad) reporting monthly; perform 1-2 drills annually for secure food supply preparedness and foreign animal disease (FAD) preparedness; training / education perf ormed by sending 1-2 veterinarians to annual events throughout the year. Swine - swine BR testing includes at least 50 samples annually; approximately 1-2 cases of swine disease surveillance (PRV, SB, prrs) per quarter; garbage feeding VS form 13-2 submitted quarterly as applies for swine garbage feeding; nahrs reporting performed annually; outreach quarterly and via accreditation monthly; attendance at US swine health improvement plan (ship) meetings at least annually. Sheep/goat/cervid - scrapie testing FY25 sampling minimums for sheep and goats were 58 and 26 samples respectively. These annual sampling minimums are set by the USDA and are usually exceeded each year. Cooperator will submit scrapie compliance reports on a quarterly basis and annual reporting VS form 5-24 is completed on an annual basis. One health - monthly meetings with the arizona department of health and other local/county/state/tribal government agencies, with general attendance of 15-20 participants. Goals include meeting quarterly and annual activity goals for each commodity and are tracked by quarterly reports. Records of surveillance supported by this cooperative agreement contribute to the figures reported in annual USDA surveillance reports. Expected outcomes include prevention and early detection of foreign animal diseases such as avian influenza and continued surveillance of program diseases such as bovine tuberculosis. IT is anticipated that the outcomes should meet and/or exceed those from the previous year, and by the metrics as previously outlined in question 2. Program managers maintain contact with the cooperator (arizona department of agriculture, azda) to assess progress in aligning with the proposed metrics and use of cooperative agreement funds. Arizona producers/stakeholders/tribal nations/arizona residents/accredited veterinarian's (AVS) in arizona. There are 915 category i and 768 category II AVS in arizona, with a total of 1,683 AVS. There are 16,900 native american agricultural producers. In arizona there are 15,100 farm operations, including 171 ,000 beef cattle, 70 dairies producing 4 billion pounds of milk annually, 2 commercial layer producers with over 10 million laying hens, and 1 commercial swine production facility with 180,000 breeding sows. There are also 7 livestock markets, and 10 slaughter facilities, with 4 being USDA inspected slaughter facilities, and 6 being state inspected slaughter facilities. Arizona's agricultural industry ranks 13TH in the US for agricultural production and contributes 30.9B to the state's economy. Public impact of the arizona department of agriculture includes support of 138,000 full and part time jobs. No subrecipient awards