This Act directs the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to sign a memorandum of understanding or other interagency agreement within 180 days. The agreement must set up coordinated work to prevent, detect, control, and eradicate New World screwworm in wildlife and non-livestock animals on certain covered lands. Activities listed include joint surveillance and monitoring, coordination with State wildlife and livestock health officers during outbreaks, shared eradication protocols to protect wildlife and domestic animal agriculture, and science- and risk-based measures to help non-infected animals and areas continue business. The Act also requires annual reports to specified congressional committees until the Secretary of Agriculture certifies the screwworm is quarantined south of the Darien Gap in Panama. "Covered lands" are lands managed by the National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, or Forest Service.
If enacted, two Federal agencies would formally coordinate on detecting and responding to New World screwworm on the named public lands. The agencies would develop shared monitoring, outbreak response, and eradication plans and would work with State wildlife and livestock health officers as appropriate. People who use or manage the listed lands, and livestock owners near those lands, may see increased surveillance and coordinated response actions aimed at stopping screwworm spread.
No publicly available information.
Supporters emphasize coordinated surveillance and response. The Act’s text says the agreement and activities are intended to protect wildlife and non-livestock animals on covered lands, stabilize and reduce threats to domestic animal agriculture, and safeguard the domestic food supply and economy. Supporters would point to the required joint protocols, state coordination, and annual reporting as ways to improve early detection and outbreak control.
No publicly available information.