CVM and Counterterrorism

The Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) is working with other federal agencies to help the country prepare for a biological emergency, natural disaster or terrorist attack by making sure there is a safe and adequate supply of animal drug products and a safe animal feed supply system. This page contains information on CVM’s role in counterterrorism.

Information on FDA’s role in countering bioterrorism can be found on its Counterterrorism Page.

Questions on CVM Counterterrorism activities should be addressed to:

CVM Counterterrorism Coordinator
Center for Veterinary Medicine
Office of Surveillance and Compliance – HFV-200
7519 Standish Place
Rockville, MD 20855
240-453-6830

If you witness a terrorist incident or any product tampering involving an FDA regulated product, please contact the FDA Emergency Operations Center’s 24-hour emergency line 1-866-300-4374 or 301-796-8240.

Current CVM activities that ensure safe food and drugs:

• monitoring animal feeds to ensure the safety of the animals which receive them; the public who consume the food products derived from those animals; and the environment.
• monitoring marketed food additives, veterinary medical devices, and veterinary drugs, to assure their safety and effectiveness.
• withdrawing veterinary drugs, food additives, and medical devices from the market when scientific evidence demonstrates their lack of safety and/or effectiveness.
• assuring only safe and effective drugs are approved through the New Animal Drug Application (NADA) process.
• monitoring and evaluating reports of adverse drug experiences for effectiveness, animal safety and public safety.
• partnering with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA/FSIS) to monitor drug and chemical residues in meat and poultry.
• assisting the FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) by developing methods for monitoring the safety and quality of imported foods.

CVM Counterterrorism Projects

• Informing state veterinary offices about FDA’s technical role in identifying and responding to an intentional or accidental contamination of animal feed.
• Assisting State authorities in acquiring the scientific and analytical expertise and capability to respond to an animal feed contamination incident.
• Coordinating counterterrorism activities with other Federal, State, local and foreign regulatory agencies.
• Working with U.S. feed industry associations to develop biosecurity awareness guidelines for the feed industry.
• Intensifying the review of products offered for import and collaborating with the U.S. Customs and Borders Protection Service at ports on safety and security issues.
• Establishing and maintaining the Feed Contaminant and Tissue Residue Compliance Programs which play an important role in the early detection of chemical and biological contaminants in the animal feed supply.
• Developing analytical methods to detect the presence of toxic substances that could be introduced into U.S. animal feed supplies. Once developed and optimized, these methods would be used to detect toxic substances in animal feed.
• Detection of multi-drug resistant foodborne bacterial pathogens through participation in national surveillance programs including FoodNet and PulseNet.
• The improvement of animal feed safety and defense within the framework of the Animal Feed Safety System.

Actions CVM will take in an emergency

• Implement the CVM Emergency Operations Plan.
• Prevent further distribution of contaminated feed and trace the movement of the feed back to the source and forward to all potential users.
• Provide for the timely approval of alternate manufacturing sites of animal drugs should primary facilities be lost.
• Provide for the timely approval of alternate bulk drug sources should approved sources be lost.
• Provide for the temporary approval of alternate finished animal pharmaceuticals should a sole U.S. source be lost.