NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Department of Agriculture announced on Thursday that it has received a $250,000 federal grant to help develop a rapid field test for two highly contagious livestock diseases.

The money will go to Tennessee's C.E. Kord Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory, which is working with Vanderbilt University to develop new tests for Senecavirus A and the virus that causes foot-and-mouth disease, according to the Agriculture Department.

Current testing requires transporting samples to a laboratory where they are prepared and tested under highly controlled conditions. The new field tests could yield results in minutes.

"Meat processors can get the 'all clear' faster and veterinarians can more quickly detect diseases that can devastate livestock," lab director Kenneth Kim said in a news release.

The tests are being developed for swine but the technology could be used to develop tests for other animals.

TDA and Vanderbilt University plan to have a fully functional prototype prepared for U.S. Department of Agriculture validation within three years.