Cattle Diseases of National Importance

The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) supports cattle and bison health and the associated industries through domestic and global programs and partnerships that address a range of priority disease issues.

The overarching goal of the Cattle Health Program is to partner with State, industry, allied Federal agencies, Tribal governments, and other stakeholders to:

1) rapidly detect significant diseases or other incidents that could affect the U.S. cattle and bison population, harm human and/or environmental health and damage the economy;

2) prevent the introduction and spread of any detected devastating disease or endemic cattle and bison diseases of concern, and conduct surveillance to find animal diseases or animal health incidents, and

3) provide confidence to our international trading partners that certain diseases or animal health-related issues do not exist in the U.S. cattle and bison population or cattle and bison in defined regions of the U.S., thus facilitating trade.

The capabilities developed to respond to cattle and bison diseases may also be utilized to respond to other cattle and bison health emergencies (e.g., natural disasters, terrorist incidents, etc.).

Internationally, APHIS supports the cattle and bison industry through programs that prevent the entry of foreign animal diseases into the U.S. and that address trade concerns. The cattle and bison health program has been successful in protecting the U.S. cattle industry from economic loss by rapidly detecting foreign, emerging, re-emerging, or domestic program diseases and in preventing their spread.