Cooperative Agreement Award Summary

The Connecticut Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Agricultural Development and Research Preservation, received a $149,801 Cooperative Agreement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) under the Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal Care program (CFDA 10.025) effective April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2027. The agreement funds comprehensive avian health surveillance activities targeting highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and Pullorum-Typhoid detection across Connecticut's poultry production systems. Key deliverables include conducting approximately 1,500 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests annually for HPAI across multiple poultry sectors—including egg-type breeding flocks, commercial table egg layers, live bird markets, retail markets, small processors, birds attending fairs and shows, and backyard flocks—as well as approximately 120 Pullorum-Typhoid tests and 25 Mycoplasma tests in poultry.

The award supports disease surveillance infrastructure through staff support, personnel training, laboratory testing activities, and the funding of 90 necropsies from backyard flocks to enable early detection of avian influenza and other poultry health threats. Activities also encompass the purchase of biosecurity and disease sampling supplies to support surveillance operations. The intended beneficiaries include commercial table-egg producers, embryonated egg producers, backyard poultry producers, producers moving poultry into or out of Connecticut, and participants in agricultural fairs and 4-H programs, collectively strengthening Connecticut's agricultural industry resilience to avian disease threats.