Mike Strain Commissioner | Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry
Mike Strain Commissioner | Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced plans for a funding initiative aimed at tackling avian influenza. The announcement follows the recent declaration by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins regarding emergency funding to combat avian flu and reduce egg prices.
The USDA, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Food and Drug Administration (FDA), will allocate up to $100 million for projects focused on prevention, therapeutics, research, and potential vaccine candidates for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). This investment seeks to identify innovative solutions to fight HPAI while supporting American farmers and ranchers.
Funding is open through a competitive process to various entities including manufacturers of vaccines, biologics, therapeutics, states, universities, livestock producer organizations, among others. The USDA will prioritize proposals that address key areas such as testing therapeutic interventions to prevent bird flu and treating infected flocks. Additionally, the department will explore prevention strategies in consultation with HHS to promote biosecurity in agriculture and human health.
Details about the funding opportunity can be found on the APHIS website or by searching USDA-APHIS-10025-VSSP0000-25-0015 on ezFedGrants or Grants.gov. Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. EDT on May 19, 2025.
Interested applicants must be registered with the U.S. Government System for Award Management (SAM). The USDA is also offering a webinar to assist applicants in learning more about the application process.
While exploring vaccination options for poultry against HPAI, no vaccine has been authorized yet. Before making any decisions, feedback will be solicited from governors, state departments of agriculture, veterinarians, farmers, public health officials, and the general public.
This initiative forms part of Secretary Rollins’ five-pronged strategy aimed at combating HPAI while providing relief to farmers and ensuring affordable food supply for American consumers.
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