The Kansas Department of Agriculture has been selected to receive a cooperative agreement totaling $2.25 million over the next five years from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This FDA grant allows for collaboration between the KDA Agriculture Laboratory and the Dairy and Feed Safety program to expand animal feed testing and safety in Kansas.

The funding provides KDA the ability to implement a feed safety program within the framework of the Animal Feed Regulatory Program Standards set forth by the FDA. This will allow KDA’s laboratory to increase current animal feed testing capabilities which will expand the existing quality system. The cooperative agreement will also allow for the KDA laboratory to expand its ISO 17025 accreditation, establishing a more complete quality system and increasing the quality analytical data collected. ISO 17025 accreditation attests to the competency and technical capabilities of a laboratory to perform certain testing and supports the traceability of any data generated.

 “The development and implementation of these standards will help both federal and state programs better direct their regulatory activities toward reducing hazards, consequently improving the safety and security of the animal feed supply in Kansas,” said Sarah DeDonder, KDA Agriculture Laboratory program manager.

Kansas was one of 21 states selected to receive the cooperative agreement. The additional funding will help the agency in achieving its vision of a balanced approach to ensuring a safe food supply, protecting natural resources, promoting public health and safety, protecting animal health, and providing consumer protection to the best of the department’s ability.