Alabama Dept of Agriculture AFRPS Maintenance & Mutual Reliance FY25

About This Grant

Funding Opportunity – PAR-25-003: Animal Food Regulatory Program Standards Implementation Development and Maintenance, with Mutual Reliance Initiatives Applicant: State of Alabama, Department of Agriculture and Industries, Agricultural Compliance Section Abstract – Project Overall As with other state animal feed programs, ours is not a revenue generating program. To that end it makes it difficult to have the needed funds appropriated to our program for improvements in equipment and technology. The Agricultural Compliance section is currently in the final year of the funding opportunity RFA-FD-24-035: Development and Maintenance of the Animal Feed Regulatory Program Standards. This funding opportunity is allowing us to access funds to maintain the Animal Feed Regulatory Program Standards. It also enables us to make significant improvements to our program with the purchase of new equipment and technologies not only for the regulatory program but also for our testing laboratory. This opportunity is affording us the capability to update and, in some cases, replace equipment to improve the effectiveness of our sample collection, storing, transporting and analytical abilities. Accordingly, we will be able to maintain programmatic improvements for years to come that will help ensure the safety and integrity of the U.S. animal feed supply. Our program will utilize specific members of our staff to develop and execute a plan to establish and become fully implemented in all standards and to maintain the standards. The specific members of our staff include the division director, program manager, field inspector supervisor, testing laboratory director, testing laboratory quality control director and an office assistant. Concurrently our testing laboratory will be taking all necessary steps fulfilling Standard 10 and becoming ISO/IED 17025:2005 certified. Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) will be developed and maintained in every area where they would be appropriate to address all aspects of the program. This program has been and will continue to be a participant in the Animal Feed Contract. We have been able participate in some training opportunities and to attend the AFRP’s Face to Face Meetings. Also, the funding enables more involvement by more of the staff in AAFCO. Currently our staff consists of a division director, eleven Agricultural Compliance staffers, which includes eight inspectors, a program manager and one office staff, five testing laboratory staff and two registration staff. We will be assigning certain task to the following: By utilizing the funds offered here we will be able to continue maintaining the standards outlined in the funding opportunity. The unit manager of the Ag Compliance section will be the primary personnel in the maintenance of the AFRPS and coordinating the goals of the Mutual Reliance Track. Individuals from the Ag compliance section will attend the AAFCO annual and midyear meetings and the Annual AFRPS F2F meeting.