Provide for a comprehensive approach for animal health management in idaho utilizing surveillance, monitoring, reporting, prevention, control and education activities for animal diseases of interest

The Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service awarded the Idaho Department of Agriculture a Cooperative Agreement totaling $243,436.18 on April 1, 2026, under the Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal Care program (CFDA 10.025) to deliver comprehensive animal health management in Idaho.

The recipient will conduct avian influenza surveillance sampling, implement response protocols for H5 and H7 positive detections, manage National Poultry Improvement Plan data entry and record keeping, perform inspection and biosecurity audits of NPIP premises, and deliver biosecurity and disease prevention education. Brucellosis activities include surveillance in cattle, bison, and high-risk wild elk populations; implementation of risk-based management plans; inter-agency collaboration to prevent spread from elk to livestock; education and abortion screening promotion; and epidemiologic investigations. Additional deliverables encompass tuberculosis monitoring in cattle and bison, disease surveillance and outreach data submission to APHIS, and disease response activities. Performance goals focus on rapid diagnosis and control of avian influenza subtypes, improved biosecurity on poultry facilities, and maintenance of national, state, and herd disease status certifications.

The recipient must submit quarterly accomplishments and financial reports to APHIS and provide animal health data supporting earlier disease detection and decreased disease incursion costs. The period of performance runs from April 1, 2026, through March 31, 2027, with all work performed in Idaho.

Purpose

The purpose of this agreement is to provide for a comprehensive approach for animal health management in idaho utilizing surveillance, monitoring, reporting, prevention, control and education activities for animal diseases of interest.

Activities

Activities the recipient will perform primarily include those related to avian, cattle and bison health with a major focus on avian influenza, brucellosis and tuberculosis. Examples of avian activities are avian influenza surveillance sampling, response plan for when H5 or H7 avian influenza positives are found, data entry and record keeping for the national poultry improvement plan, inspection and biosecurity audits of national poultry improvement plan premises, and education regarding biosecurity and disease prevention. Brucellosis activities include conducting surveillance in cattle, bison and high-risk wild ELK populations, implementing risk-based management plans, collaborating between agencies to address brucellosis spread from ELK to livestock, providing education and promoting abortion screening. Additional activities for brucellosis and other diseases include supplying disease surveillance and outreach data to animal plant health inspection service and conducting epidemiologic investigations and disease response act ivities. Avian health goals are to quickly diagnose, control, and prevent the spread of H5 and H7 avian influenza subtypes; and improve biosecurity, sanitation, and disease control on poultry facilities. Cattle/bison health goals include surveillance and outreach to maintain national, state and herd disease status certifications. These efforts will result in earlier disease detection and rapid action to decrease spread, thereby decreasing the cost of disease incursions. The recipient must submit quarterly accomplishments and financial reports and provide other animal health data to animal plant health inspection service. Deliverables and expected outcomes: avian - (1.) thirty-eight (38) national poultry improvement plan participant flocks located throughout idaho will be visited twice a year by four idaho livestock investigators, one idaho state department of agriculture veterinary medical officer and/or the national poultry improvement plan coordinator to collect blood for in-house agar GEL immunodiffusion (agid)/enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) at idaho's animal health laboratory for salmonella and highly pathogenic avian influenza. (2.) two idaho state department of agriculture livestock investigators and one idaho state department of agriculture veterinary medical officer will collect avian influenza samples from 4-h/future farmers of america birds entered in approximately five state or county fairs around the ST ATE. Birds are bled and swabbed at owner premises to prevent transmission of disease (~100 trips) testing for avian influenza and salmonella. (3.) idaho state department of agriculture livestock investigators and veterinary medical officers will respond to up to 5 sick-bird calls where they will collect and submit enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) tests to the idaho's animal health l aboratory and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) pools for confirmatory testing as needed. (4.) the national poultry improvement plan coordinator will perform on-farm biosecurity audits for up to two flocks. Livestock investigators and veterinary medical officer will conduct national poultry improvement plan annual inspections on thirty-eight (38) flocks. All thirty-eight of these inspections will take place during the same trip that avian influenza and salmonella testing is done. (5.) national poultry improvement plan testing will include: 44 agar GEL immunodiffusion (agid) tests, 250 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) tests and 500 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for avian influenza. (6.) live bird market testing-50 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) and 50 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for avian influenza. (7.) 3500 tests for pullorum-typhoid. (8.) outreach - the national poultry improvement plan coordinator will distribute defend the flock biosecurity materials to feed stores (10), cooperative extension agents (44 counties), agriculture educators (3) and other avian venues. Cattle - (1.) reimburse accredited vets for sampling test-eligible cattle that resided in the designated surveillance area between january 1 and june 15 of the current year within 30 days prior to leaving the designated surveillance area, including slaughter cattle not consigned to a USDA inspected plant that collects market cattle identification (MCI) samples. (2.) reimburse vets for sampling all test eligible designated surveillance area cattle presented at livestock markets. (3.) idaho state department of agriculture will test cattle herds with known ELK-cattle interaction using sarstedt bleeders; mobile cattle chute is stored at idaho department of lands in idaho falls. (4.) collect quarterly bovine rhinotracheitis (BRT) samples from all dairies located within idaho's designated surveillance area (2 raw and 1 grade a). (5.) monitor official identification for designated surveillance area cattle. (6.) all test-eligible cattle will be sampled at slaughter for market cattle identification testing. Fluorescent polarization assay test kits will be used to conduct follow-up testing on screening test responders. (7.) idaho department of fish and game will assemble and send hunter test kits to ELK tag holders in selected areas adjacent to or in the designated surveillance area. The kits will be tested for brucellosis at the idaho animal health laboratory. (8.) utilize buffered acidified plate antigen as the primary screening test. Additional personnel hours are necessary to utilize the buffered acidified plate antigen test. Non-negative samples on buffered acidified plate antigen will be tested by fluorescent polarization assay. One health - (1.) investigate, control, and eliminate (if possible) zoonotic disease outbreaks and one health issues in collaboration with one health partners. Include specific investigations or actions in the proposed activities section of the work plan. (2.) develop and conduct targeted epidemiologic studies/assessments of zoonotic diseases or one health issues, in collaboration with one health partners, to identify risk factors and opportunities to protect animal and public health. Include the specific studies diseases or issues in the proposed activities section of the work plan. Sheep-scrapie - (1.) detect, respond, and contain occurrences of regulatory diseases, foreign animal diseases, or emerging diseases in sheep, goats, cervids, or equids. Activities may include: a.) conduct epidemiologic investigations in accordance with animal health program regulations and program standards to include epidemiologic investigations for program, foreign, and emerging diseases as requested by veterinary services. B.) conduct disease response activities such as clean-up, trace back investigations, post-exposure monitoring, testing, and disposal of high-risk animals/herds/flocks, as appropriate. (2.) for investigations and other disease response activities, provide the name of the disease and the activity performed. This may be done utilizing a spreadsheet or chart listing the activities as rows and the disease for which the activity was conducted in columns and filling in the number of activities performed. Swine - (1.) conduct epidemiologic investigations (including pseudorabies virus / swine brucellosis, african swine fever/classical swine fever, tuberculosis or non-regulatory emerging diseases) in accordance with animal health program regulations and program standards. (2.) conduct disease response activities such as herd clean-up, trace back/forward investigations, testing, and disposal of high-risk animals/herds, as appropriate.

Intended beneficiaries

The beneficiaries of these efforts will be livestock and poultry owners, state and federal agencies and consumers.

Subrecipient activities

The sub awardee for this agreement is the idaho department of fish and game. Idaho department of fish and game will assist with brucellosis surveillance in wild ELK and mitigation of interactions between wild ELK and domestic cattle, bison and cervids during the at-risk period of brucellosis disease transmission from ELK to livestock.