The USDA has temporarily postponed its final rule to amend the Horse Protection Act (HPA) regulations for 60 days.

The avian bird flu has struck a flock of chickens in central Nebraska. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) this week confirmed the H5N1 avian flu virus in a backyard chicken flock in Kearney County.

"The equine community is particularly concerned about the agency’s evolving definition of soring, which seems to significantly expand the scope beyond the original intent."

Poultry producers who have had previous bird flu outbreaks would have to pass a biosecurity audit to receive future USDA indemnity payments.

USDA secures $129.2 million in emergency funds to deter fruit flies -- some of the most destructive fruit and vegetable pests in the world.

The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced in a press release that it would be updating the policies it already has in place to enhance testing of turkey flocks to combat the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), or highly pathogenic bird flu.

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) recently updated it policy for pre-slaughter surveillance of turkeys in its efforts to control the spread (HPAI). The announcement comes after a household cat contracted HPAI H5N1 from infected raw turkey pet food in late December 2024.

USDA/APHIS will use $129.2 million in emergency funding to combat exotic fruit fly outbreaks, which threaten crops and trade. The funds will

APHIS acknowledges that “the number of recent interceptions is notable given the infrequency of such interceptions over the program's history.”

This is the fifth instance of HPAI impacting a domestic flock in Vermont since spring of 2022 and emphasizes the ongoing need for vigilance as the disease continues to be an ongoing risk to domestic birds. This case comes on the heels of another HPAI confirmation in a flock of backyard birds in Franklin County this past December.

LINCOLN –The Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA), in conjunction with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has detected the first cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI)

The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will temporarily postpone its final rule to amend the Horse Protection Act regulations for 60 days, according to the American Horse Council on Jan.