HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania’s Animal Health and Diagnostic Commission is seeking producers and representatives of agricultural organizations to participate in a focus group on animal health needs and priorities in the state.
The focus group meeting will be held on at 1 p.m. Aug. 5, in Room 309 of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture building, 2301 N. Cameron St., Harrisburg.
The group is part of the commission’s efforts to craft a comprehensive strategic plan that will review the regulatory needs of the animal health industry, such as disease testing and inspections, as well as the role the commission plays in surveillance efforts across the state.
The commission formed a strategic plan committee in March of this year with a specific goal of better understanding the users of the Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic Laboratory System, or PADLS, and their specific needs.
About the lab
The only three-party laboratory system in the United States, PADLS links together the Pennsylvania Veterinary Laboratory in Harrisburg, Penn State University’s Animal Diagnostic Laboratory and the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center, creating real-time access by the labs to animal health diagnostic information.
In addition to seeking input from the focus group and members of the Animal Health and Diagnostic Commission, the strategic planning committee has been meeting with the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association to look at how to best devote resources to animal health needs in the future.
Space for the Aug. 5 focus group session is limited. Interested participants are asked to register by calling the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Animal Health and Diagnostic Services at 717-772-2852.
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We are an egg farm in Crawford County. The Penn State Lab is about our only option for diagonists. PSU is 3 hours away; not close, but better than St Louis, Missouri or Atlanta Georgia, which are the next options. Food safety benefits the citizens of our state. Ultimate what we do, how we medicate, vacinate, and disenfect is for food safety, everyone needs to work together.