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Ames, Iowa,
April 19 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and other USDA officials dedicated
the final component of the National Centers for Animal Health (NCAH) Monday.
The cutting-edge center provides laboratories, offices, animal space and
administrative space for some of the nation’s top animal health scientists and
researchers. The dedication marks the completion of a long-term project to
consolidate three USDA units previously operated separately at Ames,
resulting in better cost savings for America’s taxpayers and employing
about 700 people.
“The new
NCAH will help create jobs and economic opportunity in America’s rural communities by
supporting livestock producers across the country,” Vilsack said. “This new
facility will not only save taxpayers money, but will help the men and women
who work here in Ames
provide the critical advancements needed to maintain the success of the
industry.”
The NCAH
is a cutting-edge center operating from a single campus – like the National
Institutes of Health – with laboratories, offices, animal space and
administrative space for some of the nation’s top animal health scientists and
researchers. The facility includes: the National Animal
Disease Center,
operated by USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the National Veterinary
Services Laboratory and the Center for Veterinary Biologics, operated by USDA’s
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). All branches contribute to
the nation’s livestock industry by conducting research, diagnostics and
training, as well as testing vaccines and evaluating veterinary biological
products.
Last
year, APHIS and ARS scientists and employees worked around the clock to test
the first samples of the H1N1 virus, leading to the important discovery that
infected pigs did not have any of the virus in their tissues and confirming the
safety of the food supply. The work from ARS and APHIS staff protects food
sources for consumers all over the world – and protects public health by
minimizing human infectious diseases and food safety pathogens that might be
transmitted from animals or their products.
ARS is
the principal intramural scientific research agency of USDA. APHIS is
responsible for protecting and promoting U.S. agricultural health,
administering the Animal Welfare Act, and carrying out wildlife damage
management activities.
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