Florida to receive $6 million for agriculture pest and disease control

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) announced the state will receive $6 million in federal funding through the federal Farm Bill to help eradicate pests and control diseases that affect agriculture.

“This funding will help Florida protect its agriculture from pest and disease invaders that are threatening entire industries,” said Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam. “We must continue to fight to save our citrus, our honey bees and our environment for future 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.

FDACS is receiving $5.4 million of the statewide total, with the rest going to research programs. The state programs that will be funded include:

• Giant African Land Snail Mitigation
• Florida Detector Dog Teams
• Research and Development for Citrus Health
• Traveler’s Don’t Pack a Pest Outreach Program
• Protection of Avocado Production
• Honey Bee National Survey