Animal Disease Risk Assessment, Prevention, and Control Act of 2001

The Animal Disease Risk Assessment, Prevention, and Control Act of 2001 (S. 708) was designed to protect the American food supply and agricultural economy by requiring the Department of Agriculture to evaluate the nation’s readiness against major animal disease outbreaks. The bill specifically directed federal agencies to report on their strategies for preventing the spread of foot-and-mouth disease and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (commonly known as "mad cow disease").

For the average citizen, this legislation aimed to ensure the safety of meat products and stabilize food prices by identifying gaps in public health information and federal oversight. By assessing the need for potential product bans or new legislative authorities, the bill sought to create a proactive defense system to prevent the economic disruption and health risks associated with large-scale livestock infections.