Federal Cooperative Agreement Summary

The Office of the Texas State Chemist (OTSC) at Texas A&M Agrilife Research received a $400,000 Cooperative Agreement from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the Food and Drug Administration Research program (CFDA 93.103), awarded on September 20, 2025, with completion targeted for June 30, 2028. OTSC delivers animal feed regulatory oversight and sample analysis services through its two primary divisions: the Texas Feed and Fertilizer Control Service (FFCS), which functions as the regulatory agency, and the Agricultural Analytical Service (AAS), which conducts regulatory sample analysis for both FFCS and the FDA. The award supports maintenance of eleven established regulatory standards and ISO 17025:2017 accreditation while advancing implementation of the Animal Feed Regulatory Program Standards (AFRPS).

Under this agreement, OTSC will participate in regularly scheduled collaborative meetings with the FDA and state animal food regulatory programs, support FDA audit assessments of AFRPS implementation through provision of meeting space and staff accessibility, and maintain detailed access to records, databases, and supporting materials. Key deliverables include integration of AFRPS with OTSC's Laboratory Feed and Feed Material (LFFM) program, analysis of regulatory samples within ISO 17025:2017 scope, investigation and compliance response for violative samples using established AFRPS procedures, and active participation in annual face-to-face meetings to support continuous improvement of regulatory standards. OTSC will also collaborate with FDA and other states on violative sample resolution and utilize Rapid Response Team (RRT) procedures to the extent practicable, leveraging qualified personnel and necessary regulatory compliance infrastructure to advance mutual reliance among state and federal animal feed regulatory agencies.