WASHINGTON — The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) confirmed on Sept. 4 plans to invest $17.6 million into agriculture research intended to protect the health and welfare of agricultural animals.
Some projects include high-priority research on highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and African swine fever (ASF).
“Protecting the health and welfare of agricultural animals is integral to ensuring a safe, sustainable, resilient and ethically-sound food system,” said NIFA Director Manjit Misra, PhD. “Healthy livestock are more productive and less likely to harbor and spread diseases that can affect humans. In addition, properly managed livestock systems help maintain biodiversity and sustainable land use.”
The agency detailed $12.7 million for 27 projects funded through NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative’s (AFRI) Diseases of Agricultural Animals program and $4.8 million for 10 projects funded through AFRI’s Welfare of Agricultural Animals program.
Some of the projects under the AFRI Diseases of Agricultural Animals program include:
- University of Georgia researchers aim to develop mass vaccination strategies against a prevalent HPAI subtype. The potential benefits extend beyond avian influenza, paving the way for similar studies on other respiratory viruses affecting poultry and livestock.
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) scientists will design and evaluate ASF-engineered vaccine antigens. This work will ultimately lead to developing a vaccine against ASF to aid in disease control and swine health.
- University of Missouri researchers plan to develop safer and more effective swine influenza vaccines, potentially reducing both animal and human influenza infections and blocking potential zoonotic transmission from swine to humans.
The AFRI Welfare of Agricultural Animals program works to assess animal agriculture production practices and/or the development of new or enhanced management approaches that protect animal welfare.
Some of the projects include:
- Purdue University researchers will investigate the most effective indicator traits and breeding strategies to enhance heat tolerance in ducks. Scientists plan to develop guidelines that outline optimal management and breeding strategies to improve heat tolerance in poultry—offering a potential long-term solution to climate change impacts on poultry production globally.
- University of Vermont scientists will investigate how early-life calf management affects long-term behavioral development, emotional states and physiological stress in dairy cattle. The results will benefit the dairy cattle industry by increasing longevity and improving animal welfare and care standards.
Research focused on vaccines for HPAI and ASF continues with the goals of mitigating the spread of the diseases among animals. ASF has never been reported in the United States. HPAI continues to circulate among poultry, dairy cattle and other animals around the country.
