Survey avian and cattle health in alabama and to promote not only prevention of program and foreign animal diseases, but also readiness to respond efficiently to disease and rapidly return to…

The Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service awarded the Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries a $734,031 cooperative agreement on April 1, 2026, under the Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal Care program (CFDA 10.025) to survey avian and cattle health in Alabama and promote prevention and rapid response to program and foreign animal diseases.

Avian activities include active and passive surveillance for avian influenza, conducting approximately 304,755 avian influenza tests and testing 316,500 birds annually, and performing approximately 1,500 bird necropsies per year. The recipient will conduct on-farm biosecurity audits as needed, perform 30 hatchery inspections, 5 laboratory inspections, and recordkeeping audits with 10 trips annually. The recipient will inspect live bird markets and poultry auctions (40 inspections total annually), 19 fairs, and 20 shows. Outreach includes 4 county/regional fall meetings plus 3 statewide events and attendance at 3 national training events. The recipient will review the state response and containment plan, conduct 4 depopulation equipment exercises with 40 personnel per exercise, and conduct 15–20 epidemiologic investigations.

Cattle activities include continued surveying for brucellosis, BSE, tuberculosis, and foreign animal diseases. The recipient will conduct quarterly veterinary medical officer and animal health technician workshops, raise accredited veterinarians' awareness of BSE surveillance, attend state and local meetings for education and outreach, conduct epidemiological investigations, and train new veterinary medical officers to conduct cattle carcass tissue tests.

The award period runs from April 1, 2026, through March 31, 2027, with place of performance in the United States.

Purpose

The purpose of this agreement is to survey avian and cattle health in alabama and to promote not only prevention of program and foreign animal diseases, but also readiness to respond efficiently to disease and rapidly return to business.

Activities

Avian activities include both active and passive surveillance for avian influenza, conduct inspections and audits, carry out outreach activities, educate and train internally as well as external stakeholders, and maintain a ready posture for response. • 304,755 estimated avian influenza tests/year • 316,500 estimated birds tested for avian influenza/year • 1,500 estimated bird necropsies/year • inspections and audits: on-farm biosecurity audits as needed, hatchery inspections (30/year), laboratory inspections (5/year), recordkeeping audits (respond to complaints related to improper disposal of normal mortality, pest and rodents, and litter handling as needed, 10 trips/year); biosecurity audits are performed once every two years; inspections of lbms/poultry auctions (20 twice/year for 40 total), fairs (19/year), shows (20/year) • 4 county/regional fall meetings for education and outreach, plus 3 state-wide events • attend 3 national training events • review of the initial state response and containment plan • 4 exercises of depopulation equipment (40 personnel/exercise) • conduct 15-20 epidemiologic investigations cattle activities include continued surveying for brucellosis, BSE, tuberculosis, and foreign animal diseases, as well as training and educating to stay abreast of current policies and procedures, and not only mitigating the risks of diseases but also maintaining a ready posture. • quarterly state and federal veterinary medical officer and animal health technician workshops • raise accredited veterinarians' awareness of BSE surveillance • attend state and local meetings for education and outreach • conduct epidemiological investigations • train new veterinary medical officers to conduct CCT test for tuberculosis • 3 state fadds and 3 federal fadds to perform FAD investigations which will be initiated within 24 hours; increase diagnostic laboratory personnel with fadd training deliverables and expected outcomes: avian • deliverables: o develop tabletop exercise of initial state response and containment plan with poultry industry (50-70 participants) o inspection and audit records • outcomes: o early detection of avian influenza o increase nahln laboratory capacity for PCR testing o increase biosecurity cattle • deliverables: o cattle tested and/or vaccinated for brucellosis recorded in data management systems o BSE article in state-wide publication that has circulation of 30,000 producers and stakeholders o quarterly reports for tuberculosis o monthly nahrs reporting o other reporting for emergency management response services, surveillance collaboration services, nvsl lims, vsls • outcomes: o increase in accredited veterinarians' BSE submissions o early detection of bovine TB, brucellosis, BSE, and foreign animal diseases intended beneficiary(IES): alabama's poultry and livestock sectors are highly valued nationally and economically due to their scale, contributions to food production, exports, and strategic vulnerabilities that necessitate robust protection against foreign animal diseases (fads). Alabama has a high concentration of broiler and layer poultry producers with alabama representing one of the nation's leading states in broiler production (consistently ranking 2ND or 3RD nationally by head produced, e.g., approximately 1.2 billion head in recent years). In addition, alabama is home to a primary breeder, which a critical for the export of hatching chicks and supports significant domestic and international trade. This positions alabama as a key player in the U.S. Poultry supply chain, contributing billions to the state's economy (poultry industry impact exceeds $15 billion annually, representing about 1/8TH of alabama's economy) and the national protein supply. Additionally, significant cattle production (with inventories around 1.2 million head, ranking around 21ST nationally) and associated cattle movements into southern tier states further amplify the sector's importance. Proximity to the gulf coast enhances export capabilities (e.g., via mobile BAY) but also increases exposure to pathways for foreign animal diseases from regions where such threats are endemic. The critical need for protection against threats such as new world screwworm, african swine fever, etc. Underscores alabama's vulnerability due to its concentration of susceptible livestock (poultry, cattle, sheep/goats, etc.), potential for rapid spread via movements/trade, and the severe economic/public health consequences of an outbreak in a major production hub.