What is the purpose of Plum Island Animal Disease Center and where is it located?”
The Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC) is a United States federal research facility dedicated to the study of foreign animal diseases. Since 1954, the center has had the goal of protecting America’s livestock from foreign animal diseases. During the Cold War a secret biological weapons program targeting livestock was conducted at the site. This program has been the subject of controversies, and the facility has gained a cult status.
The Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC) is a United States federal research facility dedicated to the study of foreign animal diseases. Since 1954, the center has had the goal of protecting America’s livestock from foreign animal diseases. During the Cold War a secret biological weapons program targeting livestock was conducted at the site. This program has been the subject of controversies, and the facility has gained a cult status. Location and description The center is located on Plum Island, off the northeast coast of Long Island in New York state. During the Spanish-American War, the island was purchased by the government for the construction of Fort Terry, which was later deactivated after World War II and then reactivated in 1952 for the Army Chemical Corps. The center comprises 70 buildings (many of them dilapidated) on 840 acres (3.4 km2).[1][2] Plum Island has its own fire department, power plant, and water treatment plant.[1][2] No wildlife exists on the island. Howeve
Plum Island is located off the northeastern tip of New York’s Long Island. USDA activities at Plum Island are carried out by scientists and veterinarians with the department’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). We’re proud of our role as America’s first line of defense against foreign animal diseases. We’re equally proud of our safety record. Not once in our nearly 50 years of operation has an animal pathogen escaped from the island. In 2003 the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) joined us on the island, taking responsibility for the safety and security of the facility.
