Conduct surveillance, enhance preparedness, and improve response to program diseases and foreign animal diseases in cattle, sheep, goats, cervids, poultry, and swine

The Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service awarded a Cooperative Agreement to the Missouri Department of Agriculture for $290,919, obligated on April 1, 2026, under the Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal Care program (CFDA 10.025).

The Missouri Department of Agriculture Division of Animal Health will conduct surveillance, enhance preparedness, and improve response to program diseases and foreign animal diseases affecting cattle, sheep, goats, cervids, poultry, and swine. Activities include epidemiologic investigations on regulatory diseases, foreign animal diseases, and emerging diseases in cattle, sheep, goats, and cervids, with findings recorded and tracked in a database. At least 10 Division staff members will attend up to five national meetings including the National Poultry Improvement Plan Workshop, Live Bird Marketing System Working Group, Biosecurity Working Group, and Animal/Plant Health Joint Criminal-Epidemiologic Investigations Course, and more than 10 Missouri industry or producer meetings. The Division will send veterinary medical officers to foreign animal disease diagnostician training, conduct quarterly in-person staff meetings on current disease concerns and response efforts, and maintain and exercise the Division's KIFCO machine and CO2 carts. Surveillance and educational activities will occur at the Missouri State Fair, the American Royal, and over 100 county fairs across the state.

Performance of work takes place in Missouri, USA, with a period of performance from April 1, 2026, through March 31, 2027.

Missouri department of agriculture (MDA) division of animal health staff attends meetings in order to keep up to date with current issues and to network with other states and industry. There are nine (9) veterinarians, three (3) animal health officers, one (1) poultry coordinator, one (1) emergency manager, and six (6) administrative staff that assist the division in its mission to protect and promote missouri agriculture, including the work completed under this agreement. Attendance at meetings like the national poultry improvement plan (NPIP) workshop, live bird marketing system (LBMS) working group, biosecurity working group, animal/plant health joint criminal-epidemiologic investigations course, the pork expo, and others help to enhance MDA�S preparedness for foreign animal and other emerging diseases, thereby improving our response. In all, at least 10 division staff members will attend up to five (5) national meetings and more than 10 missouri industry or producer meetings. Some of the other activities focused on preparedness and response that will be completed include sending veterinary medical officers (VMO) to foreign animal disease diagnostician (FADD) training, having quarterly in person staff meetings to discuss current disease concerns and response efforts, and maintaining and exercising of the division�S kifco machine and CO2 carts. MDA will conduct epidemiologic investigations on regulatory diseases, foreign animal diseases (FAD), and emerging diseases in cattle, sheep, goats, and cervids. Investigations will be recorded and tracked in the database. Finally, MDA staff will conduct surveillance and educational activities at the missouri state fair, the american royal, and over 100 county fairs across the state. MDA�S three (3) poult RY health staff members, along with the help of the three (3) animal health officers will administer the NPIP program through testing for avian influenza, conduct surveillance through collection and testing of environmental samples for salmonella at mail order HAT cheries, collect and test samples for AI from farm stores selling poultry, and collect and test samples from sick bird calls. Together, this team will collect and test approximately 400 avian influenza PCR tests, visit and collect samples from over 70 farms with P oultry, visit and collect samples from at least 17 farm stores who sell poultry, and respond to over 20 sick bird calls and test for avian influenza when indicated. In addition, they will conduct at least five (5) hatchery inspections, seven (7) NPIP audits, and attend over 70 fairs and poultry shows. All information from each of the activities listed above will be entered into MDA�S database by the poultry health program coordinator and other poultry staff. The poultry health program coordinator and MDA�S emergency coordinator are trained to conduct annual medical clearance and fit testing for MDA staff involved in emergency response. They will work to keep at least 15 division staff up to date on fit testing so that they are able to respond to any disease incursion when and if IT occurs. They are also able to do just in time fit testing in instances where IT is necessary to pull staff from other programs or divisions. The poultry team will work with two (2) mail order hatcheries in missouri to test for and mitigate salmonella and will assist in response to positive test results. The team will test 120 hatchery and environmental samples. They also print and distribute salmonella prevention stickers to hatcheries, fairs and other events in the state. MDA poultry health staff will work with public health partners in all investigations where zoonotic diseases associated with poultry is detected in humans or animals. The poultry health program coordinator will review and update the initial state response and containment plan (ISRCP), and with the assistance of the emergency coordinator, will exercise the plan at least every 3 years. MDA supports the cattle brucellosis and tuberculosis (TB) surveillance plans and administers certified and accredited programs to producers who are interested. Currently, there are 17 missouri herds enrolled in the certified brucellosis-free program and two (2) herds enrolled in the tuberculosis-free accredited program. Producer and testing information for each herd enrolled either or both programs will be recorded in MDA�S database. Suspect test results will be investigated by district veterinary staff and regulatory samples submitted for confirmation. Cattle are often also tested for the two diseases for movement purposes. Those tests are conducted by accredited veterinarians around the state. Finally, there are occasionally traces from positive animals in other states that may require testing of animals or herds in M