United States. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

The goals of the Veterinary Services (VS) program of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) are to properly manage cases of animal diseases, and to advocate methods for maintaining health and productive animals. VS began as the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), which was established under the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture in 1884. The BAI set out to deal with livestock problems, most notably diseases. The bureau established several divisions, including those for dairy, animal husbandry, inspection, and quarantine. The organization of the BAI remained virtually unchanged for almost 70 years (the exception being its grouping with other bureaus under the Agricultural Research Administration from 1942-1953. In 1953 the BAI was abolished. Its functions were assigned to various branches of the new Agricultural Research Service, ARS. VS was transferred to APHIS in 1972, and remained when APHIS was reorganized and superceded by an organization of the same name. Throughourt its history Veterinary Services has eradicated several diseases from the United States, including foot-and-mouth disease, cattle fever ticks, screwworms, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, exotic Newcasttle disease, and hog cholera.