The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production,promotes agricultural trade and production,works to assure food safety,protects natural resources,fosters rural communities and works to end hunger in the United States and internationally. It is headed by the secretary of agriculture,who reports directly to the president of the United States and is a member of the president's Cabinet. The current secretary is Tom Vilsack,who has served since February 24,2021.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) based in Riverdale,Maryland responsible for protecting animal health,animal welfare,and plant health. APHIS is the lead agency for collaboration with other agencies to protect U.S. agriculture from invasive pests and diseases. APHIS's PPQ is the National Plant Protection Organization for the U.S.,and the agency's head of veterinary services/veterinary Deputy Administrator is the Chief Veterinary Officer of the United States.
Bobby R. Acord was the Administrator of the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). He was appointed by Ann Veneman on November 7,2001,and was no longer administrator as of 2004.
The Animal Welfare Act was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on August 24,1966. It is the main federal law in the United States that regulates the treatment of animals in research and exhibition. Other laws,policies,and guidelines may include additional species coverage or specifications for animal care and use,but all refer to the Animal Welfare Act as the minimally acceptable standard for animal treatment and care. The USDA and APHIS oversee the AWA and the House and Senate Agriculture Committees have primary legislative jurisdiction over the Act. Animals covered under this Act include any live or dead cat,dog,hamster,rabbit,nonhuman primate,guinea pig,and any other warm-blooded animal determined by the Secretary of Agriculture for research,pet use or exhibition. Excluded from the Act are birds,rats of the genus Rattus,mice of the genus Mus,farm animals,and all cold-blooded animals.
Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUCs) are centrally important in applying laws about animal research in the United States. Similar systems operate in other countries,but generally under different titles;for example,in Canada a typical title would be the University Animal Care Committee (UACC),while in the United Kingdom it would be the Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body (AWERB).
The Federal Noxious Weed Act of 1974 established a federal program to control the spread of noxious weeds. The United States Secretary of Agriculture was given the authority to declare plants "noxious weeds",and limit the interstate spread of such plants without a permit. The Secretary has the authority to inspect,seize,and destroy products,and quarantine areas,if necessary to contain,or limit the spread of such weeds.
The Smuggling Interdiction and Trade Compliance Program is a component of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS),Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ). The mission of the Smuggling Interdiction and Trade Compliance Program is to detect and prevent the unlawful entry and distribution of prohibited and/or non-compliant products that may harbor exotic plant and animal pests,diseases or invasive species.
Wildlife Services is the program intended to provide Federal resources to resolve wildlife interactions that threaten public health and safety,as well as agricultural,property,and natural resources. The program is part of the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).
The United States is the largest grower of commercial crops that have been genetically engineered in the world,but not without domestic and international opposition.
The Horse Protection Act of 1970 (HPA);is a United States federal law,under which the practice of soring is a crime punishable by both civil and criminal penalties,including fines and jail time. It is illegal to show a horse,enter it at a horse show,or to auction,sell,offer for sale,or transport a horse for any of these purposes if it has been sored.
The West Coast Game Park Safari is a walk-through safari park in Bandon,Oregon,United States. It opened in 1968,and includes snow leopards,African lions,Bengal tigers,emu,capybara,and cougars.
The Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park,alternatively known as the G.W. Zoo,Tiger King Park and formerly the Garold Wayne Exotic Animal Memorial Park,was an animal park displaying predominantly tigers and other big cats in Wynnewood,Oklahoma,United States. The park garnered substantial public attention due to the 2020 Netflix documentary series Tiger King:Murder,Mayhem and Madness,which focused on park founder and owner Joe Exotic.
Invasive species are a crucial threat to many native habitats and species of the United States and a significant cost to agriculture,forestry,and recreation. An invasive species refers to an organism that is not native to a specific region and poses significant economic and environmental threats to its new habitat. The term "invasive species" can also refer to feral species or introduced diseases. Some introduced species,such as the dandelion,do not cause significant economic or ecologic damage and are not widely considered as invasive. Economic damages associated with invasive species' effects and control costs are estimated at $120 billion per year.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS),an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA),is the public health regulatory agency responsible for ensuring that United States' commercial supply of meat,poultry,and egg products is safe,wholesome,and correctly labeled and packaged. The FSIS draws its authority from the Federal Meat Inspection Act of 1906,the Poultry Products Inspection Act of 1957 and the Egg Products Inspection Act of 1970.
Monsanto Co. v. Geertson Seed Farms,561 U.S. 139 (2010),is a United States Supreme Court case decided 7-1 in favor of Monsanto. The decision allowed Monsanto to sell genetically modified alfalfa seeds to farmers,and allowed farmers to plant them,grow crops,harvest them,and sell the crop into the food supply. The case came about because the use of the seeds was approved by regulatory authorities;the approval was challenged in district court by Geertson Seed Farms and other groups who were concerned that the genetically modified alfalfa would spread too easily,and the challengers won. Monsanto appealed the district court decision and lost,and appealed again to the Supreme Court,where Monsanto won,thus upholding the original approval and allowing the seeds to be sold.
Big Cat Rescue Corp.,also known as BCR and previously known as Wildlife on Easy Street,Inc.,operates an animal sanctuary in Hillsborough County,Florida,United States,which rescues and houses exotic cats,and rehabilitates injured or orphaned native wild cats. It was founded by Don Lewis and Carole Baskin in 1995.
Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) is one of six operational program units within the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The PPQ works to safeguard agriculture and natural resources in the U.S. against the entry,establishment,and spread of animal and plant pests,and noxious weeds in order to help ensure the protection of native flora and an abundant,high-quality,and varied food supply.
A genetically modified sugar beet is a sugar beet that has been genetically engineered by the direct modification of its genome using biotechnology. Commercialized GM sugar beets make use of a glyphosate-resistance modification developed by Monsanto and KWS Saat. These glyphosate-resistant beets,also called 'Roundup Ready' sugar beets,were developed by 2000,but not commercialized until 2007. For international trade,sugar beets have a Maximum Residue Limit of glyphosate of 15 mg/Kg at harvest. As of 2016,GMO sugar beets are grown in the United States and Canada. In the United States,they play an important role in domestic sugar production. Studies have concluded the sugar from glyphosate-resistant sugar beets is molecularly identical to and so has the same nutritional value as sugar from conventional (non-GMO) sugar beets.
Animal welfare in the United States relates to the treatment of non-human animals in fields such as agriculture,hunting,medical testing and the domestic ownership of animals. It is distinct from animal conservation.
SeaQuest Holdings,LLC better known as just SeaQuest,is an interactive marine,exotic mammal,and bird/reptile life attraction chain. It was founded by Vince Covino and features hands-on animal interactions at shopping malls throughout the United States. The company has locations in Utah,Texas,Las Vegas,New Jersey,California,Minnesota,Colorado,and Virginia. SeaQuest has attracted considerable controversy and legal issues due to concerns over its animal care standards.
