Florida Nets $5 Million To Fight Ag Pests, Diseases

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) announced the state will receive $5.4 million in federal funding through the federal Farm Bill to help eradicate pests and control diseases that affect the state’s $108 billion agriculture industry.
“Pests and diseases are significant threats to Florida agriculture,” said Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam. “By working to prevent the entry and spread of these threats, we can help ensure Florida’s famed agriculture industry can continue for generations.”

The spending plan for the pest and disease control section of the Farm Bill was released this week by the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). The purpose of the APHIS funding is to prevent the introduction and spread of plant pests and diseases that threaten the U.S. agriculture and environment. This funding will strengthen pest surveillance, detection and identification and help mitigate these threats.
The state programs that will be funded include:

• Giant African Land Snail mitigation
• Detector dog inspections
• Research and development for citrus health, including citrus canker and citrus greening
• Protection of avocado production (reduction of laurel wilt)
• Honeybee pest and disease surveys