Bureau of Animal Health & Diagnostic Services

Description

Keeping Pennsylvania Growing means protecting the animals born and raised here, as well as those who many enter our state. The Bureau of Animal Health and Diagnostic Services (BAHDS) is responsible for controlling and eradicating diseases in livestock and poultry. This is critical because these diseases have the potential to impact human health and cause significant economic loss to farmers and the state. In addition, BAHDS administers regulatory programs for animal health certification, containment of diseased animals and elimination of disease agents.

Pennsylvania is also home to a tri-partite animal health laboratory system, called the Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic Laboratory System, or PADLS. The PADLS system connects the Pennsylvania Veterinary Laboratory (PVL) in Harrisburg, Penn State University's Animal Diagnostic Laboratory (ADL) and the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine's New Bolton Center to provide laboratory testing, field-based monitoring and producer outreach, all with a focus on protecting our citizens, our food supply and our animal agriculture industry.

With millions of livestock and poultry in Pennsylvania, BAHDS has a presence across the state with Veterinary Medical Field Officers and Domestic Animal Health Inspectors. These staff members work closely with the farming and non-farm public on issues ranging from suspected rabies cases to farm-based animal health questions.

This work is critical to protecting the U.S. livestock and poultry industries of from foreign animal diseases, which, in turn, protects our food supply and our citizens. A healthy animal agriculture industry is also a key part of ensuring that Pennsylvania's trade status with other states and other nations is not negatively impacted by an outbreak within our borders.

Livestock Evaluation Center website

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