Kansas Department of Agriculture outlines annual foreign animal disease exercise focused on foot‑and‑mouth disease

Dr. Justin Smith, a Kansas Department of Agriculture official, told a legislative committee that the department's year‑end foreign animal disease (FAD) exercise focuses on response to foot‑and‑mouth disease (FMD), the most contagious livestock disease.

The exercise, called Watchtower, is an annual three‑day simulation now in its 12th year. "We had over 200 participants that played with us in this exercise," Smith said, describing participation from state agencies, law enforcement, university partners, processors and producers. He said the exercise aims to test surveillance, tracing, disposal and vaccination planning and to identify operational and policy gaps.

The exercise's purpose, Smith said, is to validate response plans and improve collaboration among stakeholders. "It improves our collaboration with our stakeholders," he said. He described using real producers and their operational data in scenarios so planners can test responses against actual movement and business records rather than hypothetical figures.

Smith summarized recent focus areas. In 2021 the exercise emphasized vaccination planning; in 2022 it revisited fundamentals after turnover in incident management teams; 2023 tested response plans and international assurance; and 2024, "Watchtower 2024," concentrated on surveillance and the ability to carry…