Federal Cooperative Agreement Summary

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) received a $275,000 Cooperative Agreement award from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the Food and Drug Administration Research program (CFDA 93.103), effective September 20, 2025, through June 30, 2028. This three-year initiative supports the maintenance and enhancement of the Animal Food Regulatory Program Standards (AFRPS) and strengthens mutual reliance between FDACS's Feed Regulatory Program and the FDA. The award funds FDACS's Division of Agricultural Environmental Services to participate in AFRPS maintenance and mutual reliance initiative tracks designed to maintain consistent implementation of national regulatory standards for animal food safety.

Under this agreement, FDACS will deliver enhanced regulatory services through periodic evaluation and updating of regulatory foundations, training protocols, risk-based inspection procedures, and enforcement strategies for animal feed safety. The program will leverage ongoing self-assessments, data management improvements, and modern technology integration to increase regulatory capacity and standardize inspection and enforcement activities across Florida. These efforts contribute to establishing a national integrated food safety system while ensuring the validity and defensibility of regulatory actions to protect public health and promote industry compliance with animal food safety requirements.