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Agriculture department asks for staffing and equipment amid HPAI response; seeks $1.1 million for hemp program staffing
Summary
The Georgia Department of Agriculture updated the committee on its HPAI response, reported 322 loan applications and $42 million in approved recovery loans, and requested additional funding for the hemp program, emergency response equipment, personnel and capital needs including vehicles and Tifton lab work.
The Georgia Department of Agriculture briefed the House subcommittee on FY2026 budget items, public health work, and program needs, including a request for roughly $1.1 million in additional funding for the hemp regulatory program.
HPAI update and loans: The department said the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) control area tied to the Elbert County event has been lifted and the poultry suspension was lifted as of last Monday. The department reported it received about 322 loan applications for producers affected by Hurricane Heline and has approved 12 loans totaling about $42,000,000.
Hemp program: The department said the hemp licensing and regulatory work has been time‑intensive and that staff have “touched” roughly 5,000 applications (multiple reviews per file). The presenter said the agency has approved or is processing manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers and labs (transcript counts were read at the hearing) and reported the program has brought in about $1,840,000 to date in new revenue, with an estimated $3,000,000 in annual revenue once licensing stabilizes. The department requested roughly $1,100,000 in addition to the governor’s proposal to fund permanent staff and equipment for licensing, investigators and inspectors.
Emergency management and HPAI readiness: The department requested about $450,000 to obtain contamination/decontamination units and related equipment for high‑path responses and other emergencies, and requested a dedicated emergency management specialist position to manage responses and planning.
Agricultural inputs and agronomy: The department asked for an agronomist position (salary and benefits line item ~ $109,000) to support soil amendment work and nutrient management plans.
EV charger regulation and other staffing: The department described its role implementing the state EV charging regulation that becomes effective in January next year and said delivery delays on purchased test equipment have left the program behind schedule; it requested increased funding to continue testing and program work. Separately, the agency requested roughly $660,000 in additional personnel funding to restore staffing capacity; the department said at times it has had to decline licensing work (for example for new meat processors) because of limited staff.
Capital and lab work: The commissioner described capital requests including $2.1 million to replace 57 high‑mileage vehicles, about $845,000 for a mobile fuel lab, van and forklift, and roughly $1.1 million to finish recommissioning the Tifton Lab. The department highlighted the role of seed germinators at the Tifton Lab and said adding germinators would speed testing and reduce potential backlog and testing delays.
Ending: Committee members asked technical questions about lab negative pressure issues (which the department said had been fixed), egg prices caused in part by HPAI, and the role of the agricultural lab in southeastern testing. No formal action was taken during the hearing.
