USDA Seeks Suggestions for Fiscal Year 2015 Projects Funded by Section 10007 of the 2014 Farm Bill

Stakeholder Announcement

WASHINGTON, September 15, 2014 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is inviting stakeholders to submit suggestions for fiscal year (FY) 2015 projects to implement Section 10007 Plant Pest and Disease Management and Disaster Prevention Programs (PPDMDPP) of the 2014 Farm Bill.

 

Submitted project suggestions should be aligned with one of the PPDMDPP goal areas: enhancing plant pest/disease analysis and survey; targeting domestic inspection activities at vulnerable points in the safeguarding continuum; enhancing and strengthening pest identification and technology; safeguarding nursery production; enhancing mitigation capabilities; and conducting outreach and education to support these goals.

 

• APHIS will accept suggestions for FY 2015 projects from September 15, 2014, through October 24, 2014.
• Detailed submission instructions and an explanation of the evaluation process are available on the APHIS Farm Bill Section 10007 Web site at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/planthealth/section10007/ppdmdpp .
• APHIS has posted the Help Session Webinar schedule on the Web site to assist anyone who is planning on submitting a suggestion.
• Questions about the FY 2015 suggestions submittal and review process should be directed to farmbillsection10007@aphis.usda.gov.

 

Section 10007 of the 2014 Farm Bill authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to make available Commodity Credit Corporation funds for early plant pest detection and surveillance, threat identification and mitigation of plant pests and diseases, and technical assistance in the development and implementation of audit-based certification systems and nursery plant pest risk management systems. The 5-year Farm Bill specifies that these funds be made available incrementally as follows. For FY 2014 through FY 2017, Section 10007 would provide $62.5 million annually for Plant Pest and Disease Management and Disaster Prevention Programs, including a minimum of $5 million allocated to the National Clean Plant Network (NCPN). For FY 2018 and thereafter, the total funding will increase to $75 million annually.

 

Cooperators who will submit project suggestions to prevent the introduction or spread of plant pests and diseases that threaten U.S. agriculture and the environment or seek funding to implement NCPN activities in FY 2015 and beyond will do so under Section 10007.

 

Please note that this open period solicits project suggestions for the PPDMDP portion of Section 10007; the NCPN portion of Section 10007 will announce a separate open period in the near future.