Agriculture Appropriations: Animal and Plant Health

August 22, 2018

Agriculture Appropriations: Animal and Plant Health

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS),

an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture

(USDA), is responsible for protecting U.S. agriculture from

domestic and foreign pests and diseases. APHIS also

responds to domestic animal and plant health risks and

facilitates agricultural trade by enforcing sanitary and

phytosanitary science-based standards. Prominent disease

and pest concerns include avian influenza, bovine

spongiform encephalopathy ("mad cow disease”), foot-andmouth disease, and invasive plant pests, such as emerald

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).

For FY2018, APHIS’s discretionary appropriations (P.L.

115-141) was $981.9 million plus $3.2 million for buildings

and facilities costs. Section 771 of P.L. 115-141 includes a

general provision to grant APHIS an additional $5.5 million

to remain available until September 30, 2019, for one-time

control and management and associated activities directly

related to the multiple-agency response to citrus greening

disease.

Figure 1. APHIS Appropriations FY2011-FY2018

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).

Table 1. Select APHIS-Monitored Diseases and Pests

PLANT

 Asian longhorned beetle

 Citrus greening

 Emerald ash borer beetle

 Giant African snail

ANIMAL

 Avian influenza

 Bovine spongiform

encephalopathy

 Cattle fever tick

 Equine infectious anemia

 Imported fire ant

 Mediterranean fruit fly

 Mexican fruit fly

 Spotted lanternfly

 Porcine epidemic diarrhea

virus

 Scrapie

 Swine influenza

 Tuberculosis/brucellosis

Source: APHIS, “Plant Pests and Diseases Programs” and “Animal

Disease Information.” Last modified January 30, 2018.

Fundamentals of APHIS Appropriations

Congress makes annual appropriations for animal and plant

health programs administered by APHIS. The

Subcommittees on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food

and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies of the

House and Senate Appropriations Committees provide

appropriated funds to APHIS. Between FY2014 and

FY2018, APHIS’s discretionary appropriation has averaged

$877 million. APHIS’s appropriations cover four broad

mission areas: (1) Safeguarding and Emergency

Preparedness/Response, (2) Agency-Wide Programs, (3)

Safe Trade and International Technical Assistance, and (4)

Animal Welfare (Figure 1 and Table 2).

Source: CRS, using USDA, Office of Budget and Program

Analysis, USDA Congressional Budget Justifications and P.L. 115141.

Notes: Excludes additional funding provided in other accounts

and mandatory funding.

Table 2. APHIS Appropriations FY2011-FY2018

Safeguarding

and

Emergency

Preparedness/

Response

Safe Trade

and

International

Technical

Assistance

AgencyWide

Programs

Animal

Welfare

Millions of Dollars

2011

$790.9

$32.7

$10.2

$22.4

2012

$748.5

$33.5

$10.2

$28.0

2013

$751.0

$33.4

$9.7

$27.8

2014

$749.4

$34.2

$9.4

$28.7

2015

$754.3

$36.2

$52.0

$28.7

2016

$776.1

$37.2

$52.0

$29.1

2017

$826.9

$37.7

$52.0

$29.5

2018

$860.6

$37.7

$51.7

$31.5

Source: CRS, using USDA, Office of Budget and Program Analysis,

USDA Congressional Budget Justifications and P.L. 115-141.

Note: Excludes additional funding provided in other accounts

and mandatory funding.

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Agriculture Appropriations: Animal and Plant Health

Breakout of FY2018 Appropriations

Safeguarding and Emergency Preparedness/Response is

the largest APHIS activity, accounting for $860 million in

FY2018 (or 87% of APHIS appropriations), and covers the

following activities:

 Plant Health includes $334 million for agricultural









quarantine inspection (AQI), cotton pests, field crop and

rangeland ecosystem pests, pest detection, plant

protection methods development, specialty crop pests,

and tree and wood pests.

Animal Health includes $322 million for animal health

technical services, aquatic animal health, avian health,

cattle health, equine, cervid (i.e., deer) and small

ruminants (i.e., goats and sheep), swine health, National

Veterinary Stockpile (i.e., veterinary countermeasures

animal vaccines, antivirals, etc., used to respond to

disease outbreaks), veterinary biologics, veterinary

diagnostics, and zoonotic disease management.

Wildlife Services includes $127 million for federal

leadership and expertise to resolve wildlife conflicts

between people and wildlife.

Emergency Management includes $41 million for a

contingency fund and emergency preparedness and

response during disasters or outbreaks.

Regulatory Services includes $35 million for animal and

plant health regulatory enforcement and biotechnology

regulatory services.

Agency-Wide Programs received $52 million to

administer APHIS’s information technology infrastructure,

physical/operational security, rental, and Department of

Homeland Security (DHS) payments. This mission area

increased in FY2015 when USDA began accounting for

rental payments in agency budgets rather than in a central

account. APHIS has many rental obligations in connection

with its border inspection role.

Safe Trade and International Technical Assistance was

appropriated $38 million for agriculture import/export

activities and overseas technical and trade operations.

APHIS plays a role in resolving technical trade issues to

ensure the safe movement of agricultural commodities into

and out of the United States.

Animal Welfare activities received an appropriation of $32

million to conduct regulatory activities to ensure the

humane care and treatment of certain animals (e.g., animals

bred for retail, used in research, transported commercially,

or exhibited for the public) as required by the Animal

Welfare Act of 1966, as amended (7 U.S.C. §2131 et seq.),

and the Horse Protection Act of 1970, as amended (15

U.S.C. §§1821-1831).

FY2019 Appropriations Proposals

The President’s proposed budget for APHIS for FY2019,

released in February 2018, would provide $739 million,

25% below its FY2018 funding. In May 2018, both the

House and Senate appropriations committees ordered

reported bills (H.R. 5961, S. 2976) that would provide

roughly $1 billion for the APHIS budget for FY2019, or

roughly $260 million more than Administration’s request

and an increase of about 7% from the FY2018

appropriation. On August 2, 2018, the Senate passed H.R.

6147, which would provide $1 billion for APHIS for

FY2019.

Other APHIS Funding

APHIS’s AQI unit collects user fees and collaborates with

DHS’s Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to intercept

foreign animal and plant pests before they can enter the

country. CBP and APHIS conduct inspections of

international passengers, commercial vessels, trucks,

aircraft, and railcars at U.S. ports of entry incorporating

APHIS protocols. USDA’s Office of Budget and Program

Analysis estimates that in FY2018 AQI will collect $765

million in fees, of which it will transfer $539 million to

DHS and retain $226 million to augment its discretionary

appropriation.

In addition to its discretionary funding and funding from

fees, APHIS also receives mandatory funding for certain

programs authorized under periodic farm bill legislation.

Mandatory funding is drawn from USDA’s Commodity

Credit Corporation (CCC) account. It is not subject to

annual appropriations. The 2014 farm bill (P.L. 113-79,

§10007) provides CCC funding for two programs: (1) the

Plant Pest and Disease Management and Disaster

Prevention Program and (2) the National Clean Plant

Network. These programs provide pest detection,

surveillance, identification, and threat mitigation. In the

2014 farm bill, Congress authorized permanent funding of

$62.5 million each year from FY2014 to FY2017 and $75

million in FY2018 and each year thereafter.

Emergency Funding

The Animal Health Protection Act (7 U.S.C. §8301 et seq.)

and the Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. §7701 et seq.)

authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to transfer

mandatory funds from CCC to respond to emergency

outbreaks of diseases and pests that threaten plant and

animal health. Discretion over the need for and the size of

CCC transfers rests with the Secretary of Agriculture in

order to facilitate a rapid government response to animal

and plant disease and pest outbreaks.

Appropriations committee reports have long directed

USDA to use its authority to transfer CCC funds for

activities related to the arrest and eradication of animal and

plant pests and diseases. This funding may vary according

to the nature of the threat. Certain eradication efforts, such

as highly pathogenic avian influenza, received one-time

CCC funding and do not have ongoing appropriations or

budget requests. Others consist of ongoing eradication

programs (e.g., the Asian longhorned beetle) and have

continued to receive CCC transfers annually in addition to

appropriated funds. For more information on emergency

funding see, CRS Report R44606, The Commodity Credit

Corporation: In Brief.

Sahar Angadjivand, Analyst in Agricultural Policy

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IF10953

Agriculture Appropriations: Animal and Plant Health

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