Agriculture Appropriations: Animal and Plant Health

Agriculture Appropriations: Animal and Plant Health

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August 22, 2018
Agriculture Appropriations: Animal and Plant Health
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS),
For FY2018, APHIS’s discretionary appropriations (P.L.
an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture
115-141) was $981.9 million plus $3.2 million for buildings
(USDA), is responsible for protecting U.S. agriculture from
and facilities costs. Section 771 of P.L. 115-141 includes a
domestic and foreign pests and diseases. APHIS also
general provision to grant APHIS an additional $5.5 million
responds to domestic animal and plant health risks and
to remain available until September 30, 2019, for one-time
facilitates agricultural trade by enforcing sanitary and
control and management and associated activities directly
phytosanitary science-based standards. Prominent disease
related to the multiple-agency response to citrus greening
and pest concerns include avian influenza, bovine
disease.
spongiform encephalopathy ("mad cow disease”), foot-and-
mouth disease, and invasive plant pests, such as emerald
Figure 1. APHIS Appropriations FY2011-FY2018
ash borer and spotted lanternfly (Table 1). APHIS also
administers federal activities under the Animal Welfare Act
that protects animals in research and public exhibitions and
under USDA’s Wildlife Services Program to protect against
threats to wildlife health. In addition, APHIS is the lead
U.S. federal agency for reporting disease and/or pest
outbreaks to the World Organization for Animal Health
(also known as OIE).
APHIS partners with state and federal agencies, tribes,
universities, nongovernmental organizations, and private
entities to achieve plant and animal health protection goals
(e.g., surveying invasive threats to honey bee health or
detecting pathogens in specialty crops).

Source: CRS, using USDA, Office of Budget and Program
Table 1. Select APHIS-Monitored Diseases and Pests
Analysis, USDA Congressional Budget Justifications and P.L. 115-
PLANT
141.
Notes: Excludes additional funding provided in other accounts


Asian longhorned beetle
Imported fire ant
and mandatory funding.


Citrus greening
Mediterranean fruit fly


Emerald ash borer beetle
Mexican fruit fly
Table 2. APHIS Appropriations FY2011-FY2018


Giant African snail
Spotted lanternfly
Safeguarding
Safe Trade
Agency-
Animal
ANIMAL
and
and
Wide
Welfare
Emergency
International
Programs


Avian influenza
Porcine epidemic diarrhea
Preparedness/
Technical

virus
Bovine spongiform

Response
Assistance
encephalopathy
 Scrapie


Millions of Dollars
Cattle fever tick
Swine influenza


Equine infectious anemia
Tuberculosis/brucellosis
2011
$790.9
$32.7
$10.2
$22.4
Source: APHIS, “Plant Pests and Diseases Programs” and “Animal
2012
$748.5
$33.5
$10.2
$28.0
Disease Information.” Last modified January 30, 2018.
2013
$751.0
$33.4
$9.7
$27.8
Fundamentals of APHIS Appropriations
2014
$749.4
$34.2
$9.4
$28.7
Congress makes annual appropriations for animal and plant
health programs administered by APHIS. The
2015
$754.3
$36.2
$52.0
$28.7
Subcommittees on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food
2016
$776.1
$37.2
$52.0
$29.1
and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies of the
House and Senate Appropriations Committees provide
2017
$826.9
$37.7
$52.0
$29.5
appropriated funds to APHIS. Between FY2014 and
FY2018, APHIS’s discretionary appropriation has averaged
2018
$860.6
$37.7
$51.7
$31.5
$877 million. APHIS’s appropriations cover four broad
Source: CRS, using USDA, Office of Budget and Program Analysis,
mission areas: (1) Safeguarding and Emergency
USDA Congressional Budget Justifications and P.L. 115-141.
Preparedness/Response, (2) Agency-Wide Programs, (3)
Safe Trade and International Technical Assistance, and (4)
Note: Excludes additional funding provided in other accounts
Animal Welfare (Figure 1 and Table 2).
and mandatory funding.
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Agriculture Appropriations: Animal and Plant Health
Breakout of FY2018 Appropriations
and an increase of about 7% from the FY2018
Safeguarding and Emergency Preparedness/Response is
appropriation. On August 2, 2018, the Senate passed H.R.
the largest APHIS activity, accounting for $860 million in
6147, which would provide $1 billion for APHIS for
FY2018 (or 87% of APHIS appropriations), and covers the
FY2019.
following activities:
Other APHIS Funding
 Plant Health includes $334 million for agricultural
APHIS’s AQI unit collects user fees and collaborates with
quarantine inspection (AQI), cotton pests, field crop and
DHS’s Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to intercept
rangeland ecosystem pests, pest detection, plant
foreign animal and plant pests before they can enter the
protection methods development, specialty crop pests,
country. CBP and APHIS conduct inspections of
and tree and wood pests.
international passengers, commercial vessels, trucks,
 Animal Health includes $322 million for animal health
aircraft, and railcars at U.S. ports of entry incorporating
technical services, aquatic animal health, avian health,
APHIS protocols. USDA’s Office of Budget and Program
cattle health, equine, cervid (i.e., deer) and small
Analysis estimates that in FY2018 AQI will collect $765
ruminants (i.e., goats and sheep), swine health, National
million in fees, of which it will transfer $539 million to
Veterinary Stockpile (i.e., veterinary countermeasures
DHS and retain $226 million to augment its discretionary
animal vaccines, antivirals, etc., used to respond to
appropriation.
disease outbreaks), veterinary biologics, veterinary
diagnostics, and zoonotic disease management.
In addition to its discretionary funding and funding from
 Wildlife Services includes $127 million for federal
fees, APHIS also receives mandatory funding for certain
leadership and expertise to resolve wildlife conflicts
programs authorized under periodic farm bill legislation.
between people and wildlife.
Mandatory funding is drawn from USDA’s Commodity
 Emergency Management includes $41 million for a
Credit Corporation (CCC) account. It is not subject to
contingency fund and emergency preparedness and
annual appropriations. The 2014 farm bill (P.L. 113-79,
response during disasters or outbreaks.
§10007) provides CCC funding for two programs: (1) the
 Regulatory Services includes $35 million for animal and Plant Pest and Disease Management and Disaster
plant health regulatory enforcement and biotechnology
Prevention Program and (2) the National Clean Plant
regulatory services.
Network. These programs provide pest detection,
surveillance, identification, and threat mitigation. In the
Agency-Wide Programs received $52 million to
2014 farm bill, Congress authorized permanent funding of
administer APHIS’s information technology infrastructure,
$62.5 million each year from FY2014 to FY2017 and $75
physical/operational security, rental, and Department of
million in FY2018 and each year thereafter.
Homeland Security (DHS) payments. This mission area
increased in FY2015 when USDA began accounting for
Emergency Funding
rental payments in agency budgets rather than in a central
The Animal Health Protection Act (7 U.S.C. §8301 et seq.)
account. APHIS has many rental obligations in connection
and the Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. §7701 et seq.)
with its border inspection role.
authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to transfer
mandatory funds from CCC to respond to emergency
Safe Trade and International Technical Assistance was
outbreaks of diseases and pests that threaten plant and
appropriated $38 million for agriculture import/export
animal health. Discretion over the need for and the size of
activities and overseas technical and trade operations.
CCC transfers rests with the Secretary of Agriculture in
APHIS plays a role in resolving technical trade issues to
order to facilitate a rapid government response to animal
ensure the safe movement of agricultural commodities into
and plant disease and pest outbreaks.
and out of the United States.
Appropriations committee reports have long directed
Animal Welfare activities received an appropriation of $32
USDA to use its authority to transfer CCC funds for
million to conduct regulatory activities to ensure the
activities related to the arrest and eradication of animal and
humane care and treatment of certain animals (e.g., animals
plant pests and diseases. This funding may vary according
bred for retail, used in research, transported commercially,
to the nature of the threat. Certain eradication efforts, such
or exhibited for the public) as required by the Animal
as highly pathogenic avian influenza, received one-time
Welfare Act of 1966, as amended (7 U.S.C. §2131 et seq.),
CCC funding and do not have ongoing appropriations or
and the Horse Protection Act of 1970, as amended (15
budget requests. Others consist of ongoing eradication
U.S.C. §§1821-1831).
programs (e.g., the Asian longhorned beetle) and have
continued to receive CCC transfers annually in addition to
FY2019 Appropriations Proposals
appropriated funds. For more information on emergency
The President’s proposed budget for APHIS for FY2019,
funding see, CRS Report R44606, The Commodity Credit
released in February 2018, would provide $739 million,
Corporation: In Brief.
25% below its FY2018 funding. In May 2018, both the
House and Senate appropriations committees ordered
Sahar Angadjivand, Analyst in Agricultural Policy
reported bills (H.R. 5961, S. 2976) that would provide
roughly $1 billion for the APHIS budget for FY2019, or
IF10953
roughly $260 million more than Administration’s request

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Agriculture Appropriations: Animal and Plant Health

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