The goal of the NVAP program is to ensure that private veterinary practitioners who provide regulatory services to U.S. livestock, poultry and aquaculture industries, are adequately trained and well acquainted with regulatory requirements through USDA-APHIS accreditation. In addition to other accreditation requirements, accredited veterinarians are required to successfully complete a required number of 29 training Modules (http://tinyurl.com/NVAP-Modules), four of which currently cover aquatic animal health regulatory issues.
Although initiated as a 1896 agreement between the U.S. and Canada to combat equine disease outbreaks, in 1921 the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) formalized the National Veterinary Accreditation Program (NVAP) so private practitioners could assist Federal veterinarians in controlling animal diseases. In 1992 regulations allow standardized procedures and requirements, and uniform administration to be managed nationally by APHIS, but with authorization of veterinarians licensed to practice on a State-by-State basis.
In 2001/2002 an "Animal Health Safeguarding Review by the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) to further redesign and upgrade the NVAP and suggested that "the accreditation program be the core for emergency preparedness and the response plan." Recommended revisions were published in 2002 ("New Directions for the National Veterinary Accreditation Program," J. Amer. Vet. Med. Assoc., 22(10): 1470-1472), with revised regulations implemented in 2009.
With accredited veterinarians being the first line of defense against catastrophic disease outbreaks, U.S. has successfully controlled outbreaks of several foreign animal diseases (FADs), including contagious equine metritis, equine piroplasmosis, epizootics of exotic Newcastle disease and West Nile virus, cases of screwworm and monkey pox, and pandemics of the influenza virus - and several aquatic animal diseases.
Module 13 provides information about the agencies involved in regulating aquatic animal health and trade, with an emphasis on USDA and the role of accredited veterinarians. It also addresses the proper completion of health certificates for farmed aquatic animals and provides resources for obtaining current regulations.