What is the mission of APHIS VS?

The mission of APHIS VS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Veterinary Services) primarily focuses on protecting the health of domestic animals and ensuring their marketability. This involves a range of activities, including disease prevention, control measures, and surveillance programs aimed at safeguarding the health of livestock and pets, thereby supporting the economic stability of the agricultural sector. By maintaining healthy animal populations, APHIS VS helps to ensure the safe trade of animals and animal products, which is critical for both domestic and international markets.

The other options do not align with the core mission of APHIS VS. Promoting animal feed sales pertains more to agricultural economics rather than animal health, enforcing food safety regulations is typically under the jurisdiction of other agencies such as the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, and managing wildlife populations is a different area of focus that generally falls under wildlife management and conservation efforts.