The President’s FY2001 supplemental appropriations request to Congress will include an additional $35 million for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to enhance activities designed to protect U.S. agriculture from serious animal disease threats such as foot and mouth disease (FMD) and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

“Given the various foreign animal disease outbreaks in other parts of the world this year, USDA has been conducting a top-to-bottom review of its core programs to ensure we have the necessary resources to protect American agriculture from devastating animal diseases,” said USDA Secretary Ann M. Veneman. “These additional funds will help strengthen these important programs.”

Components of the FY 2001 supplemental request include:

• $4.5 million for inspections at U.S. borders and ports of entry for passengers and cargo arriving from other countries, with a special emphasis on those countries affected by FMD and BSE;
  
• $24.6 million for additional veterinarians and animal health assessments to ensure that foreign animal diseases would be detected quickly should they ever penetrate U.S. borders. This includes $13.5 million to strengthen state surveillance and infrastructure programs.
  
• $1.9 million for contingency planning for immediate control and eradication in the event of a foreign animal disease outbreak;
  
• $1.7 million for technical assistance worldwide to monitor diseases and help those trying to control and eradicate them; and
  
• $2.3 million for continuous improvement of tools and technologies through research.       

“While we have been vigilant for years and have successfully prevented many foreign animal diseases from entering our country, recent outbreaks of foot and mouth disease across the world and ongoing concerns about BSE underscore the need to strengthen our safeguarding system,” Veneman said