Deputy Agriculture Secretary Krysta Harden is leaving USDA at the end of February, and USDA APHIS chief veterinarian John Clifford is moving to a new job with APHIS’ National Import Export Services staff at the beginning of March, according to the agency and Agri-Pulse.
Harden led the implementation of the 2014 Farm Bill. Michael Scuse, the current undersecretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services, has been tapped as acting deputy.
“Today is bittersweet for me,” Harden said in a Thursday release announcing her planned departure. “I am proud of what our department has accomplished since 2009 to bring economic opportunity that will help rural America thrive for generations to come. And although I will not be part of the many great and transformational things USDA will accomplish over the next year, I am more committed than ever to USDA’s mission.”
Harden grew up on a farm in Georgia, and she served USDA for seven years alongside Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
“As the proud daughter of farmers and someone who cherishes rural values, I couldn’t have served for anyone more genuine and committed to making a difference than Secretary Vilsack. My work at USDA on behalf of our farmers, ranchers, producers and rural communities has been the greatest honor of my professional life,” she said.
Clifford will transition from his current role as deputy administrator for veterinary services to a new job as the chief trade advisor for veterinary services with APHIS’ National Import Export Services staff. In his new role, Clifford, a 30-year veteran of APHIS, will focus on global trade issues as they relate to veterinary practices in the U.S.
In the stakeholder announcement, APHIS Administrator Kevin Shea said he was “thankful (APHIS) will continue to benefit from Dr. Clifford’s expertise in an arena where we have much at stake.” He said the new position will allow Clifford “to focus more on global trade issues at a time when international work has become ever more crucial to our mission.”
Shea also said that he will announce Clifford’s successor “closer to his (March 1) transition date.”
Clifford spent time dealing with international animal health experts after a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak in 2015 that led to the depopulation of 48 million birds. The outbreak led many foreign markets to wonder if they should ban U.S. poultry, but Shea said Clifford was able to have discussions with international trade leaders that “helped maintain poultry trade with several Asian countries.”