(a) In generalThe Secretary of Agriculture (referred to in this section as the “Secretary”) may utilize existing authorities to give high priority to enhancing and expanding the capacity of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to conduct activities to—
(4) develop new and improve existing strategies and technologies for dealing with intentional outbreaks of plant and animal disease arising from acts of terrorism or from unintentional introduction, including—
(A)
establishing cooperative agreements among Veterinary Services of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, State animal health commissions and regulatory agencies for livestock and poultry health, and private veterinary practitioners to enhance the preparedness and ability of Veterinary Services and the commissions and agencies to respond to outbreaks of such animal diseases; and
(b) Automated recordkeeping system
The Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service may implement a central automated recordkeeping system to provide for the reliable tracking of the status of animal and plant shipments, including those shipments on hold at ports of entry and customs. The Secretary shall ensure that such a system shall be fully accessible to or fully integrated with the Food Safety Inspection Service.