The recent House appropriations bill for agriculture contained a number of allocations that indirectly benefit the poultry industry. These include:-
- A $1 million increase for the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program that will potentially increase the number of young veterinarians willing to enter food animal practice
- Funding was increased for the National Animal Health Laboratory Network facilitating diagnostic services
- An additional $3 million to support new appointments for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Center for Veterinary Biologics. Increasing the number of reviewers and clerical personnel will expedite approval of new vaccines.
- Increased funding for research activities including the Agricultural and Food Research Initiative and funding for the National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility. The NBAF located in Kansas will serve as the principal laboratory for exotic diseases and will replace the Plum Island facility in New York.
The One Health approach to monitoring and controlling disease outbreaks will parallel the Advancing Emergency Preparedness Through One Health Act of 2019 embodied in S.1903 and H.R.3771 and supported by the American Veterinary Medical Association.