United States Government Accountability Office

Four of the five key agencies we reviewed—APHIS, FSIS, ARS, and FDA—have plans intended to detail how essential functions and services, including those that veterinarians perform, would continue during a pandemic that has the potential to severely reduce the workforce. However, each lacks elements that FEMA considers important for effective planning. The Army is still in the process of getting its plan approved and, therefore, we have not evaluated it. In addition, DHS's efforts to identify the veterinarian workforce needed to address a catastrophic nationwide outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease are based on an unrealistic assumption and limited information.