Contact Us
AgNet
  • About KDA
      • Office of Commissioner
      • Office of Administrative Services
      • Office of Agricultural Marketing
      • Office of Agricultural Policy
      • Office of Communications
      • Office for Consumer & Environmental Protection
      • Office of Legal Services
      • Office of State Veterinarian
      • Request an Official Appearance
      • International Trade
      • Kentucky Hunger Initiative
  • LICENSING & LAWS
  • Forms
  • News
      • Deer hunters encouraged
      • Deer hunters encouraged to donate to Kentucky Hunters for the Hungry
      • USDA Ag Census
      • Commissioner asks farm producers to complete USDA Ag Census
      • Kentucky Agricultural News
      • Press Releases
      • News Archive
      • Ag-Related Resources
      • Kentucky Hunger Initiative
      • Dicamba Training
      • Hemp Program
      • Licensing and Certification Portal (login required)
      • Livestock Entry Requirements
      • Market News
      • Pesticide Registration and Renewal
      • Pesticide Training and Testing
  • Online Services
      • Nuisance Weed Spraying Program
      • Ag Businesses Directory
      • Ag Ringtones
      • ARD Inspector Search
      • Free Web Page Builder
      • Hay for Sale
      • Hemp Licensing Portal
        (login required)
      • KDA Calendar of Events
      • Landscape Plant Availability Guide
      • Licensing and Certification Log In Portal
      • Licensing and Certification Registration Portal
      • Nuisance Weed Spraying Program
      • Online Permitting System
      • Pest Control Company Directory
      • Pesticide Complaint Form
      • Pollinator Protection Registration System
      • Product Registration and Renewal System
      • Purebred Breeders Directory
      • Service Agency
      • Stray or Abandoned Horses
      • Weights, Measures & Motor Fuel Complaint Form
  • Ag Policy
      • KADF Applicants
      • Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund Applicants
      • Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund (KADF)
      • Administrators
      • Applicants
      • Applicant Reporting
      • County Agricultural Development Councils
      • Kentucky Agricultural Development Board
      • Kentucky Agricultural Finance Corporation (KAFC)
      • Application Deadlines
      • Kentucky Agricultural Finance Corporation Board
      • Lender & Mentor
      • Loan Programs
      • Kentucky Agricultural Policy Publications
      • Annual Report 2019
      • Annual Report 2020
      • Annual Report 2021
  • Animal
      • Animal Disposal and Rendering
      • Animal Health
      • Animal Marketing Programs
      • Aquaculture
      • Beekeeping
      • Brands
      • Composting
      • Emergency Management
      • Equine
      • Farmed Cervids
      • Livestock
      • Livestock Welfare Complaints
      • Market News
      • Movement and Identification
      • Online Permitting System
      • Poultry
      • Purebred Breeders Directory
      • State Veterinarian
      • Stockyards and Dealers
      • Stray or Abandoned Horses
  • Plant
      • Farmers Markets
      • Forage/Hay Testing
      • GAP-Good Agriculture Practices
      • Ginseng
      • Grape and Wine
      • Hemp
      • Hemp Licensing Portal
        (login required)
      • Horticulture
      • Landscape Plant Availability Guide
      • Organic
      • Plant Marketing Programs
      • Produce Safety Program
  • Regulatory
      • Aerial Recreational Devices
      • Amusement Ride Inspections
      • Brands
      • Composting
      • Egg Licensing
      • Food Programs
      • Grain Licensing and Regulation
      • Grain Licensing Search
      • Licensing and Certification Portal
        (login required)
      • Market News
      • Organic Program
      • Pest Control - Agriculture
      • Pest Control - Structural
      • Pesticide Product Registration
      • Pesticide Complaint Form
      • Pesticide Training and Testing
      • Public Pest and Recycling Assistance
      • Rendering
      • Stockyards and Dealers
      • Teen & Tobacco
      • Weights and Measures
      • Weights, Measures & Motor Fuel Complaint Form
  • Promotional
      • Ag Businesses
      • Ag Education
      • Agritourism
      • Appalachia Proud
      • Buy Local
      • CSA - Community Supported Agriculture
      • Eat to Win KY
      • Emergency Management
      • Farm License Plate
      • Farm Safety
      • Farm to Campus
      • Farm to Fork
      • Farm to School
      • Farmers Markets Directory
      • Farmland Preservation/PACE
      • Farms Are Fun
      • Forage/Hay Testing
      • Free Web Page Builder
      • Good Agricultural Practices - GAP
      • Grants
      • Homegrown By Heroes
      • Hunger Initiative
      • International Trade
      • Jobs for Vets
      • Junior Chef
      • Kentucky Proud
      • Kentucky Wine
      • Livestock Tag
      • Local Food Purchase Assistance Grant
      • Market News
      • Mobile Science Activity Center
      • Promotion and Development
      • Shows and Fairs
Senate Bill 46
21
FEB

Bill to add new division to State Vet’s office passes first step today

Division would focus on emergency preparedness, response

FRANKFORT (Feb. 21, 2023) – A bill to add a new division within the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s (KDA) Office of the State Veterinarian to enhance the department’s preparedness and response to animal emergencies was approved in the Senate Ag Committee today, Commissioner of Agriculture Dr. Ryan Quarles announced.

“Protecting the health of livestock and poultry in the commonwealth is a top priority of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture and the Office of the State Veterinarian,” Commissioner Quarles said. “That protection means being ready for an emergency. The changes that will come about with Senate Bill 46 will go a long way in helping us achieve this goal.”

The need for Senate Bill 46 (SB46) was first introduced in November when Commissioner Quarles, KDA Chief of Staff Keith Rogers, and State Veterinarian Dr. Katie Flynn testified before the Interim Joint Committee on Agriculture. After passage today, the bill now goes to the full Senate floor for passage.

In addition to creating the Division of Emergency Preparedness and Response to the State Vet office, SB46 renames two current divisions including the Division of Animal Health to the Division of Regulatory Field Services and the Division of Producer Services to the Division of Animal Health Programs. The changes address the top three deficiencies the Office of the State Veterinarian (OSV) identified during the last year: emergency programs, policy and regulations, and outreach and education.

OSV is currently made up of 35 positions, led by the state veterinarian and deputy state vet. Most of the jobs, 25, are in Animal Health. The remaining 10 staff are in the Producer Services division. SB46 would provide for increased staff and resources, allowing OSV to be better positioned for its principal role in protecting Kentucky’s animal agriculture.

OSV’s need for more staff has been put on critical display in the last 18 months as the office dealt with several animal disease and natural disaster occurrences, including a Chronic Wasting Disease case in a deer near the Tennessee border, which initiated required surveillance throughout several counties in Kentucky; devastating tornadoes that impacted agriculture across Western Kentucky; several outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, a deadly virus for domesticated poultry; and widespread flooding in Eastern Kentucky.

SB46 would allow the state vet’s office to be in a better position to defend the state’s agriculture livestock against disease and nature disasters, while at the same time completing the other tasks that maintain the health of the state’s herds and flocks.

Press Release Sign-up

    In the News

  • 4/21/23 - Kentucky Agricultural Development Board approves more than $1.8 million for projects across the commonwealth
  • 4/24/23 - Commissioner Quarles celebrates April as Goat Month in Kentucky
  • 4/27/23 - Clays for a Cause raises more than $270,000 for Kentucky Hunger Initiative
  • 5/1/23 - Commissioner Quarles, Kentucky cattle producers celebrate May as Beef Month
  • 5/9/23 - New state veterinarian named
  • View All Press Releases...

    Broadcast Schedule

  • Across Kentucky
  • Cromwell Ag Network
  • Morning Ag Report - WKDZ 106.5 FM

    Kentucky Farm Fact

  • Kentucky has 184 organic farms that account for $14 million in sales. #KyAg365

KDA Video

Beekeeping 101: A Guide for Beginners

State Apiarist Tammy Horn Potter tells beginner beekeepers the four essential tools they need to get started.

Commissioner Quarles asked Facebook to stop rejecting pages that promote hemp

Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles told legislators about the conflict with a social media giant.

Commissioner Quarles talks to WHAS11 about Industrial Hemp in Kentucky

Commissioner of Agriculture Ryan Quarles talked to WHAS11's Chris Williams about the enthusiasm for industrial hemp.

The Kentucky Hemp Comeback

Kentucky farmers are exploring industrial hemp, a crop that connects Kentucky’s past to its future. Kentucky businesses are taking that raw material and turning it into products.

ABOUT KDA AGNET CONTACT US REQUEST AN APPEARANCE
KY Department of Agriculture |Phone: (502) 573-0282 |Fax: (502) 564-2133 |1-800-327-6568 |Disclaimer |Ag links
  • © Kentucky Agriculture Department. All rights reserved.