Animal Health Emergency Management

National Preparedness and Incident Coordination

As leaders in animal health emergency management, we develop strategies and policies for effective incident management and help to coordinate incident response. As a liaison to outside emergency management groups, we ensure that Veterinary Services (VS) emergency management policies, strategies, and responses are consistent with national and international standards.

NPIC, located in VS-Strategy & Policy, works closely with other VS-Strategy & Policy Centers, as well as VS-Field Operations and VS-Diagnostics and Biologics on emergency response issues.

NPIC does the following:

• Develops and distributes emergency response guidelines based on the National Incident Management System and National Response Framework.
• Develops the Foreign Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Plan (FAD PReP); information on FAD PReP is here: FAD PReP FAQs.
• Coordinates the VS Training and Exercise Program (VS TEP) to improve readiness for foreign animal disease incidents.
• Offers coordinating support on resources and policy for FAD incidents.
• Produces national, aggregate reporting on FAD investigations and incidents.

Other preparedness and response programs and activities occur throughout Veterinary Services (VS). NPIC also coordinates or collaborates, as requested, with the other units that have primarily responsibility for these activities:

• The VS National Incident Management Teams (NIMTs) that respond to FAD incidents; an FAQ on the NIMTs is available here.
• The Emergency Management Response System (EMRS) 2.0, which is used to manage the investigation of U.S. animal disease outbreaks.

Contact Us

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Veterinary Services, National Preparedness and Incident Coordination
4700 River Road, Unit 41
Riverdale, MD 20737
301-734-7817 (fax)
Emergency ONLY: 800-940-6524

Authorities Relating to Animal Health, Foreign Animal Diseases, and Emergency Management

• Statutory Authorities
  
  
  • Animal Health Protection Act
    
  • Animal Welfare Act
    
  • Homeland Security Presidential Directives (HSPDs) and Presidential Policy Directives (PPDs)
    • HSPD-5 (Management of Domestic Incidents)
    • PPD-8 (National Preparedness)
    • HSPD-9 (Defense of United States Agriculture and Food)
    • HSPD-12 (Policies for a Common Identification Standard for Federal Employees and Contractors)
    • PPD-21  (Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience)
      
  • Homeland Security Act of 2002
    
  • The Stafford Act

• Code of Federal Regulations
  
  
  • 9 CFR 71.2 and 71.3 (Rule Governing Quarantine and Interstate Movement of Diseased Animals, including Poultry, including African swine fever, hog cholera [classical swine fever], contagious bovine pleuropneumonia, contagious equine metritis, dourine, foot-and-mouth disease, glanders, highly pathogenic avian influenza, Rinderpest, scabies, Teschen, screwworms, vesicular exanthema)
    
  • 9 CFR 53 (Foot-and-Mouth Disease, pleuropneumonia, Rinderpest, and Certain Other Communicable Diseases of Livestock or Poultry)
    
  • 9 CFR 161 (Requirements and Standards for Accredited Veterinarians)
    
  • 9 CFR 56 (Control of H5/H7 Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza)
    
  • 9 CFR 82 (Newcastle disease and chlamydiosis in Poultry)
    
  • 9 CFR 94 (Rinderpest, foot-and-mouth disease, Newcastle disease, highly pathogenic avian influenza, African swine fever, classical swine fever, swine vesicular disease, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy: Prohibited and restricted importations)

Animal Disease Information

• VS Fact Sheets
• World Organization for Animal Health (OIE)
  OIE is the intergovernmental organization responsible for improving animal health worldwide.

Additional Resources

• APHIS Livestock Coordination Center
• Protecting Livestock During a Disaster
  
• Foreign animal disease training information
• Disinfectants
• National Summary Plans and Guidelines
  • National Incident Management System
  • National Response Framework
• National Veterinary Stockpile (NVS)
  • Provides within 24 hours the critical veterinary countermeasures (such as supplies, equipment, field tests, vaccines, and support services) to ensure States have the resources to fight catastrophic animal disease outbreaks that terrorists or nature may create.
    
  • Helps States plan, train, and exercise before an event the logistics operations they will need to manage during an event to receive, store, control, issue, and deliver the NVS and other resources.