APHIS Headquarters

Riverdale, Maryland

Contact Information
Hallie Zimmers
Interim State Liaison, APHIS
Legislative and Public Affairs
202-720-0378 (ph)
202-720-3982 (fax)
hallie.zimmers@aphis.usda.gov

Photos of
Flood Response Efforts

All animals arriving at the shelters were photographed for documentation purposes.

Cats being sheltered in Linn County

Dogs being sheltered at the Johnson

County Fairgrounds

Swine carcasses being transported for

disposal

Workers wearing full personal protective equipment.

The July issue of APHIS News for States includes a new section that this month highlights the Agency’s Smuggling Interdiction and Trade Compliance program. Each month, the newsletter will

feature a different APHIS unit that performs an important role in protecting American agriculture. The goal is to highlight the diverse nature of the Agency’s mission and bring attention to programs that you may have heard about before but not know all that much about.

Hallie Zimmers

APHIS’ Interim State Liaison

APHIS News For States

(Click here or scroll down to view article)

· APHIS Supports Flood Response Efforts in Iowa

· Biosecurity for Birds Free Fair Packages

· USDA’s Office of Inspector General Releases Audit on the Importation and Movement of Live Animals

· National Animal Health Laboratory Network Labs Host Avian Influenza Table Top Exercises

· Veterinary Services Holds Blue Tongue Virus Symposium

· APHIS-State Communications Update

· APHIS Feature: Smuggling Interdiction and Trade Compliance (SITC) Program

· Vacancies in APHIS

APHIS Supports Flood Response Efforts in Iowa

In June, the State of Iowa experienced unprecedented flooding

and called upon the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for assistance. In response, FEMA activated a number of Emergency Support Functions (ESF), including ESF #11 (Agriculture and Natural Resources). As the coordinating Agency for ESF #11, APHIS stepped in to provide assistance at the State’s request.

APHIS’ main task was assisting with the clean up of swine carcasses on both public and private land. To support this effort, APHIS utilized its National Veterinary Stockpile, which has existing contracts with companies that specialize in depopulation, disposal and decontamination (3-D) services. Clean Harbors Environmental Services, the 3-D contractor, arrived on the scene June 21st, the same day they were contacted, and began work the next day. Their job was complicated by the fact that the flood waters were too deep to for vehicles but too shallow for boats with deep hulls. Instead, Clean Harbors used flat bottom air boats and cables in the water to corral the carcasses and transport them to dry land where they could then be moved to an approved landfill. Despite the hot, humid weather, workers wore full personal protective equipment, including respirators because many of the carcasses were badly decomposed and the water was assumed to be contaminated with chemicals and sewage. Clean Harbors completed their carcass recovery efforts on July 18^th,and removed a total of 371 carcasses from public access areas and 1,160 carcasses from within confinement buildings. Altogether the carcasses weighed more than 83,000 pounds.

Some Iowa swine producers released their hogs when it became clear the area was going to flood. As a result, a number of hogs were roaming around the flood zone seeking dry land on top of already vulnerable levee systems. APHIS’ Wildlife Services (WS) program provided aerial and on-the-ground surveillance to provide GPS coordinates for both live hogs and carcasses in the 20,000-acre flooded area. Non-governmental organizations were allowed to rescue as many pigs as possible, and WS was asked to euthanize any remaining hogs to prevent them from becoming feral. To support both the recovery and rescue effort, APHIS’ Veterinary Services (VS) program provided critical coordination assistance to ensure that contractors and volunteers had State credentials and land owner permission to access areas devastated by the flooding. Locating swine producers was especially difficult because they were forced to evacuate the area when their homes flooded.

APHIS also provided initial support to the temporary pet shelters established in Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, and Donnellson. Sheltering activities were coordinated and managed by local officials, but APHIS’ Animal Care personnel were on hand to ensure that the sheltering facilities met animal welfare standards. APHIS employees on site were impressed with the shelters and their mechanisms for tracking animals, as well as the housing and general care being provided. VS employees also provided initial assistance with night security and with microchipping and vaccinating animals.

APHIS’ efforts on the ground were enhanced by the clear direction provided by Iowa agricultural officials. The State did an excellent job of assessing their internal resources and as a result they were able to specify exactly what agricultural support they needed through ESF #11. The State also worked closely with FEMA and APHIS’ ESF #11 coordinator in the region to work through the mission assignment process. This in turn allowed APHIS to move quickly to address the State’s pressing needs.

Biosecurity for Birds Free Fair Packages

With the 2008 State and County fair season underway, APHIS would like to remind organizers about our free Biosecurity For Birds fair packages. The packages come in two sizes (State or County) and contain a Biosecurity For Birds banner, printed materials, and giveaways—everything you need to set up an informative exhibit on infectious poultry diseases and biosecurity.

The goal of APHIS’ Biosecurity For Birds campaign is to educate backyard poultry owners and bird enthusiasts about the steps they can take to prevent infectious poultry diseases such as exotic Newcastle disease (END) and avian influenza and what to do in the event a disease outbreak is suspected. The campaign was initiated in early 2004 following the 2002/2003 END outbreak in California, which became the largest animal disease outbreak in the United States in 30 years. While a majority of the infected birds came from commercial operations, many also came from backyard flocks and bird enthusiasts.

Fairs are an excellent venue for communicating directly with backyard poultry owners and bird enthusiasts. Educating this target audience can help to protect the Unites States’ vital poultry industry. For more information on fair packages or to order a fair package, email birdbiosecurity@aphis.usda.gov. Please allow 3 weeks for delivery.

USDA’s Office of Inspector General Releases Audit on the Importation and Movement of Live Animals

USDA’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released an audit on July 14, entitled “USDA’s Controls Over the Importation and Movement of Live Animals.” The audit, conducted in 2006 and early 2007, reviews issues at the Canadian and Mexican borders, but is primarily focused on USDA’s Minimal-Risk Regions (MRR) final rule.

In 2005, USDA amended its regulations establishing a set of conditions whereby a country can be recognized as presenting a minimal risk of introducing bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) into the United States. This rule, or MRR, recognized Canada as a minimal-risk country, and allowed the importation of certain live ruminants and ruminant products from Canada, specifically cattle under 30 months of age.

The audit identifies some isolated incidents of health certificate errors related to the importation of live cattle from Canada into the United States. Specifically, OIG auditors were concerned about isolated incidents of imported Canadian cattle that did not meet APHIS’ MRR requirements. Additionally, the auditors would like to see changes made to the guidelines concerning the use of seals for secure shipments of cattle. Although APHIS’ Veterinary Services (VS) program has not received any reports of broken seals, VS does plan to implement detailed guidance and policy documents to secure and record current and future seal inventories. Certificates corresponding to each numbered seal do accompany each shipment and thus make the introduction of illegal products into the shipment extremely unlikely.

The OIG audit was conducted before USDA implemented the MRR II rule in November 2007 that allows for the importation of Canadian cattle of all ages provided they are born on or before March 1, 1999. APHIS’ decision to expand the rule to include older Canadian cattle was based on further evaluation of the possible risk, which was found to be negligible due to the robustness of overlapping safeguards protecting animal and public health.

The issues identified in the audit are procedural in nature and APHIS is committed to transparency and ensuring that requirements regarding the importation of live animals are adequately met to continue to protect America’s animal agriculture. While APHIS disagrees with some of the findings in the OIG report, other recommendations have provided the Agency with sound ideas that in combination with APHIS’ veterinary expertise can be incorporated into strategies to augment existing safeguards. To read the report in its entirety, go to http://www.usda.gov/oig/webdocs/50601-12-CH.pdf. APHIS’ response to the report begins on page 39.

National Animal Health Laboratory Network Labs Host Avian Influenza Table Top Exercises

To address action items identified in the Implementation Plan of the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza, APHIS recently initiated an exercise program to evaluate, train, and enhance the resources and readiness of the animal health community. To carry this out, APHIS asked the CNA Corporation to design and deliver a laboratory-focused tabletop exercise to examine multi-agency response and coordination during an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). The exercises are currently being conducted at National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) laboratories throughout the United States.

The NAHLN, which is a cooperative effort between APHIS, USDA’s Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service and the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, provides a coordinated network of Federal and State laboratories to conduct animal disease testing. Since the NAHLN’s creation in 2002, the network has grown from 12 to 54 State and university veterinary diagnostic laboratories in 45 states. APHIS is committed to building upon the existing infrastructure.

The exercise moves players through challenges encountered during an outbreak of HPAI. Participants gain enhanced awareness of the laboratory issues that will arise and have the opportunity to assess the completeness of response plans. The goals of the exercise are to:

Determine what changes need to be made to the NAHLN activation plan.
Provide an opportunity for animal health officials to better understand laboratory issues during a response.
Provide an opportunity for laboratory personnel to better understand incident response issues.
Examine AI incident response plans and procedures, particularly with respect to diagnosis and surveillance.
Provide input to the National Veterinary Stockpile on the reagents/supplies needed for response.

Twenty of 38 scheduled exercises have been completed since February 2008. The remaining exercises will be conducted by October 2008. An individual After Action Report is written by CNA for each exercise, and a report analyzing all exercises will be provided to APHIS at the conclusion of the project. Overall analysis of lessons learned from these exercises will allow APHIS and the NAHLN to better understand response capabilities across the United States and help improve and refine policies and plans.

An overview of the exercises and the lessons learned will be presented at the NAHLN Emergency Response Symposium, held in conjunction with the AAVLD meeting. Additional information on the symposium is available at http://www.aavld.org/mc/page.do?sitePageId=32804&orgId=aavld.

Veterinary Services Holds Blue Tongue Virus Symposium

On July 10, Veterinary Services held a symposium in Denver, Colorado to discuss the potential impact of Blue Tongue Virus subtype 8 (BTV-8) on American agriculture. About 50 participants, including several international experts on the disease, State animal health officials, leading academics, and industry representatives, participated in the symposium.

BTV-8, which has been a significant animal health issue in Europe, is an insect-transmitted, viral disease of goats, cattle, sheep, and other animals that causes inflammation and hemorrhaging of the nose, mouth, and tongue. The symposium was held in order to proactively discuss how to prevent the transmission of BTV-8 into the United States, and how U.S. animal health officials could most quickly and efficiently respond to the disease if it were introduced in North America.

Experts at the symposium provided perspective on the European experience with the disease in order to better understand how to prevent the strain from entering the United States and affecting U.S. livestock. Participants also discussed the potential impact of BTV-8 if it were to be introduced in the United States and explored prevention strategies beyond the regular Federal certification requirements for imports and exports.

Based on the feedback that was received at the symposium, VS has begun action planning to outline next steps. In addition, VS will be creating a Web page with all of the information, including presentations and minutes, from the symposium. When complete, that site will be accessible by going to http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/index.shtml. For more information about the symposium, please email Michael Doerrer at michael.r.doerrer@aphis.usda.gov

APHIS-State Communications Update

On both the plant and animal side of APHIS, efforts are underway to enhance communication with States. This is in direct response to the recommendations that resulted from the February 2008 APHIS-NASDA Collaboration Assessment. APHIS’ Plant Protection and Quarantine program and the National Plant Board (NPB) have an Interagency Relations Committee and APHIS’ Veterinary Services (VS) and the National Assembly of State Animal Health Officials (NASAHO) created a Communications Committee. Both groups are comprised of a mixture of APHIS and State employees who meet regularly to address communication issues.

On the plant side, the Interagency Relations Committee created a subcommittee that has developed a list of issues that would benefit from communications protocols. The subcommittee is now working to draft those protocols and the goal is to share them with the Interagency Relations Committee in October. The group then hopes to present them to Agency and NPB leadership in December.

The VS-NASAHO Communications Committee is in the process of looking at lessons learned from two recent disease detections and based on that feedback will be identifying some overarching communication issues that need to be addressed. These will be presented at an upcoming meeting with VS and NASAHO leadership in August where the committee will receive additional feedback on their efforts to date. The goal of the committee is to take that feedback and develop clear communication guidelines that will be presented to VS and NASAHO for implementation.

Final documents will be shared with relevant State organizations when they are complete. Many additional efforts are currently underway to address the recommendations in the APHIS-NASDA Collaboration Assessment. Communication issues, however, were a theme throughout the study and this is intended as a mid-term update to ensure our State partners that efforts are underway to improve communication processes.

APHIS Feature: Smuggling Interdiction and Trade Compliance (SITC) Program

APHIS’ Smuggling Interdiction and Trade Compliance (SITC) program was established in 2001 to respond to the ever-present threat posed by prohibited and restricted agricultural products being smuggled or illegally imported into the United States. Today, SITC officers work across the country to identify and close smuggling pathways and intercept illegally imported animal and plant products that may harbor disease or invasive species.

SITC, which falls under APHIS’ Plant Protection and Quarantine program, works closely with the Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection (CBP) along with other Federal agencies during agricultural smuggling and interdiction efforts at air, land, and sea ports-of-entry nationwide. SITC and CBP also collaborate to verify that the contents of imported cargo and parcels match their manifests and that passenger vehicles don’t contain smuggled or non-compliant agricultural products.

Outreach and education is another major priority of the program. SITC officers travel to wholesale markets, distribution points, stores and restaurants nationwide in order to inform distributors, importers, and retailers about proper importation procedures and requirements. SITC officials also conduct special operations and routine inspections in order to ensure that all import requirements are met at the retail and wholesale level.

SITC Activities in Fiscal Year 2007:

Conducted 26,834 market surveys in commerce
Conducted 8,045 cargo inspections at ports of entry
Participated in 95 special operations at ports of entry and in markets
Made 1,937 seizures of prohibited plant and animal products which totaled 344,000 pounds.

Vacancies in APHIS

All Agency vacancies are posted on the APHIS Web site. To view the entire list of APHIS vacancies go to www.aphis.usda.gov. Under Related Topics click on Find a Job in APHIS. The positions highlighted below are for relevant positions that are at the GS-13 level and above.

Position: Interdisciplinary Biologist/Wildlife Biologist

Location: To be determined

Pay Plan: GS-0401,0486-12/14