Provide monitoring, surveillance, testing, education, outreach, training, preparedness, and response activities to support national animal health activities in utah

The Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service awarded the Utah Department of Agriculture a cooperative agreement valued at $106,215 on April 1, 2026, under the Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal Care program (CFDA 10.025) to support national animal health activities in Utah through March 31, 2027.

The recipient will deliver avian disease monitoring and surveillance including 1,359 avian influenza tests annually from National Poultry Improvement Plan surveillance, 10 AI tests from backyard poultry premises, gross necropsy testing, foreign animal disease investigations, and biosecurity plan reviews for certified flocks. The Utah Department of Agriculture will implement and oversee the National Poultry Improvement Plan, host an annual meeting for Utah egg producers addressing avian influenza and biosecurity (targeting 40 attendees with 20 veterinarian hours), conduct 395 hours of poultry import data entry, provide 20 hours of personnel training at the National Poultry Improvement Plan official state agency meeting in Salt Lake City, create an Emergency Animal Disease Advisory Committee with poultry industry representatives, conduct disease response activities in cooperation with USDA APHIS Veterinary Services, and maintain carbon dioxide trailers, kill carts, and turkey euthanasia devices for depopulation.

For cattle health, the recipient will perform 200 auction brucellosis tests annually, enter official brucellosis vaccination and testing records into USA Herds, and conduct 6,700 commuter permitting tests annually from designated surveillance areas in the Greater Yellowstone Area. Performance occurs in Utah.

Purpose

The purpose of this agreement is to provide monitoring, surveillance, testing, education, outreach, training, preparedness, and response activities to support national animal health activities in utah.

Activities

A. Avian - (i.) 1,359 avian influenza (AI) tests/year from national poultry improvement plan surveillance; (II.) 10 AI tests/year from backyard poultry premises; (III.) conduct foreign animal disease investigations in response to reports of sick birds; (IV.) 10 gross necropsy tests/year; (v.) implement and oversee national poultry improvement plan; (VI.) provide support to poultry events and shows; (VII.) 395 office-specialist hours for poultry import data entry; (VIII.) host an annual meeting of the utah EGG producers in the fall where avian influenza, biosecurity, and other avian diseases that may affect producers will be discussed (40 attendees with 20 veterinarian hours); (IX.) perform the biosecurity plan review for new national poultry improvement plan -certified flocks and provide education; (x.) 20 hours towards personnel training at the national poultry improvement plan official state agency meeting in salt lake city, utah; (XI.) create an emergency animal disease advisory committee that includes poultry industry representatives and review the initial state response and containment plan with the advisory committee; (XII.) in cooperation with USDA animal plant health inspection service veterinary services, conduct disease response activities such as traceback investigations, cleanup, post-exposure monitoring, and testing as needed as part of epidemiologic investigations; and (xiii.) maintain the carbon dioxide trailer, kill carts, and turkey euthanasia devices for depopulation. B. Cattle - (i.) 200 auction brucellosis tests/year; (II.) enter official brucellosis vaccination and testing records into USA herds; (III.) 6,700 commuter permitting tests/year (from designated surveillance area of the greater yellowstone area); (IV.) process commuter herd permit applications and verify compliance with testing requirements and coordinate with destination states; (v.) encourage veterinarians and producers reporting increased rates of abortion to screen their cattle for causes of abortion; (VI.) collect bovine spongiform encephalopathy samples on clinical suspects and non-ambulatory cattle over 30 months at state-inspected slaughter plants; (VII.) 1 cattle necropsy/year; (VIII.) at least 4 veterinary inspections/year of state-inspected slaughter establishments; (IX.) 1 submission/2,000 adult cattle slaughtered for tuberculosis testing through the food safety and inspection service system; (x.) enter tuberculosis test records into USA herds and assist with any traces or epidemiological investigations; (XI.) complete emergency management response system 2, national animal health reporting system, and USA herds data entry as needed; (XII.) exercise and maintain the utah national veterinary stockpile plan and utah secure milk and beef supply plans; and (xiii.) conduct disease response activities such as traceback investigations, depopulation and disposal, post-exposure monitoring, and testing as needed as part of epidemiologic investigations. C. One health - (i.) attend 12 meetings/year of the utah one health working group and participate in disease-specific meetings with public health and environmental health stakeholders; (II.) work with the utah department of health and human services to investigate reports of potential rabies exposure and other zoonotic diseases; (III.) work with utah department of health and human services, the utah division of wildlife resources, and the utah department of environmental quality on disease response and preparedness activities; (IV.) 4 newsletters/year to provide information to producers, other stakeholders, and the public on one health topics; (v.) 8 veterinarian hours for the annual in-person utah one health SYM posium, bringing together stakeholders from human, animal, and environmental health perspectives; and (VI.) 9 veterinarian hours for cross-sector meetings, including the arboviral stakeholder meetings and the state veterinarian meeting. D. Sheep goat cervid - (i.) 150 samples for scrapie surveillance at state-inspected plants; (II.) provide information on the importance of scrapie surveillance to utah wool growers association and other stakeholders; (III.) collaborate with USDA veterinary service to detect, respond to, and contain occurrences of reportable diseases involving sheep goat cervid species; (IV.) 40 veterinarian hours for ELK inventories and monitoring compliance with testing and inventory requirements; (v.) monitor compliance with testing requirements and the chronic wasting disease herd certification program; (VI.) maintain webpage on scrapie that includes identification requirements, genotyping, and information on testing; (VII.) 52 veterinarian hours attending meetings held by utah wool growers association and other stakeholders to provide outreach and education on scrapie; (VIII.) verify compliance with sheep and goat identification requirements at state-sponsored junior livestock shows and provide education to producers, as needed. E. Swine - (i.) 50 samples/year submitted for domestic swine brucellosis testing; (II.) 13 feral swine tests/year for pseudorabies virus; (III.) 13 feral swine tests/year for swine brucellosis; (IV.) conduct disease response activities such as traceback investigations and testing as needed as part of epidemiologic investigations; (v.) 4 veterinarian hours to investigate reports of unlicensed or illegal garbage feeding activities; (VI.) complete monthly national animal health reporting system reporting through data integration services; (VII.) 6 veterinarian hours to provide swine health updates to utah pork producers association annually; (VIII.) 12 veterinarian hours for outreach and education (newsletter articles, disease alerts, biosecurity guidance, response plans) to producers, veterinarians, and other stakeholders; (IX.) participate in the US swine health improvement program; (x.) investigate and collect samples for potential foreign animal diseases at cull PIG plants; and (XI.) maintain the utah secure pork supply plan and the national veterinary stockpile plans. Deliverables and expected outcomes: a. Deliverables: (i.) 1,359 avian influenza (tests/year from national poultry improvement plan surveillance; (II.) 10 avian influenza tests/year from backyard poultry premises; (III.) 10 gross necropsy tests/year; (IV.) 200 auction cattle brucellosis tests/year; (v.) 6,700 commuter permitting tests/year; (VI.) 1 cattle necropsy per year; (VII.) 150 samples for scrapie surveillance at state-inspected plants; (VIII.) 50 samples per year submitted for domestic swine brucellosis testing; (IX.) 13 feral swine tests/year for pseudorabies virus; and (x.) 13 feral swine tests/year for swine brucellosis. B. Expected outcomes - (i.) early detection of avian influenza; (II.) quarterly and annual USDA surveillance reports; (III.) early detection of cattle brucellosis; (IV.) consistent and effective data management for rapid animal disease monitoring, surveillance, and response; (v.) effective stakeholder outreach and education to increase rapid reporting and response timing to prevent and control disease spread; (VI.) rapid identification of disease presence in slaughter channels; (VII.) increase stakeholder communication and understanding regarding chronic wasting disease in ELK; (VIII.) increase identification of feral swine diseases in state; and (IX.) reduce the risk of feral swine diseases impacting domestic swine.

Intended beneficiaries

(a.) 5 commercial EGG layer facilities; (b.) 65 turkey facilities; (c.) 10 gamebird producers; (d.) 8,000 ranchers; (e.) 1,700 sheep producers; (f.) 30 commercial swine facilities; (g.) 18 state-inspected slaughter facilities; (h.) 26 ELK farms; (i.) 10 ELK hunt parks; (j.) 7 fairs; (k.) 5 livestock markets; (l.) 100 accredited veterinarians and (m.) indirectly benefits ~3.55M consumers in utah through food safety.

Subrecipient activities

None known.