H.R. 7466 — SAFE CATTLE Act

This section directs the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior, not later than 180 days after enactment, to enter into a memorandum of understanding or other interagency agreement to coordinate activities preventing, controlling, and eradicating New World screwworm—a parasitic fly larva that infests wounds of warm-blooded animals—in wildlife and non-livestock species on covered lands (i.e., lands managed by the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, or Forest Service). Such activities include (1) joint surveillance and monitoring protocols for early detection; (2) coordination with state wildlife and livestock health officers on outbreak response procedures, information distribution, and notifications; (3) eradication protocols to protect wildlife and non-livestock species, reduce threats to domestic animal agriculture, and safeguard the food supply and economy; and (4) science- and risk-based approaches to enable business continuity for non-infected animals and non-contaminated areas. The section further requires the Secretaries to submit joint reports to the House and Senate Agriculture Committees and Natural Resources/Energy and Natural Resources Committees, beginning one year after enactment and annually thereafter until the Secretary of Agriculture certifies to Congress that New World screwworm has been quarantined south of the Darien Gap in Panama, detailing interagency coordination, surveillance progress, U.S. infestation incidents and responses, and recommendations to improve federal response capacity.