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From: TSS (216-119-128-119.ipset8.wt.net)
In Reply to: Re: Power Fails for 3 Hours at Plum Island Infectious Disease Lab posted by TSS on December 21, 2002 at 11:24 am:
Lax Security at USDA Labs Putting Farms at Risk April 30, 2002 AMES, Iowa (Reuters) - Lax security and dilapidated federal laboratories that test animals for deadly diseases including anthrax and "mad cow" disease are putting the livestock industry at risk, US scientists and government officials said. The US Agriculture Department (news - web sites)'s (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames is responsible for quickly identifying an economically devastating outbreak of disease in cattle, pigs, chicken and other animals. However, poor ventilation, rodent infestation and outdated buildings hamper the ability of USDA scientists to do their jobs, industry officials said. "It is embarrassing when people from other countries come and visit our facilities," Randall Levings, head of the USDA laboratories, told Reuters at an animal disease conference. "One of the nicer comments they have said was that it was 'appalling."' Last year, the National Association of State Agriculture Departments reported after an 11-month review that many USDA facilities had problems that were "so deep that the system cannot appropriately respond to a severe animal health crisis." In response, the USDA devised a 10-year plan to modernize all its laboratories. So far, Congress has appropriated $113 million of the $450 million needed for the renovations. USDA officials said they expect the modernization plan to be completed by 2006. "Every effort is being made to move as rapidly as possible," said Alisa Harrison, USDA spokeswoman. The department also maintains it is prepared to handle any major outbreak of an animal disease that could pose a threat to US agriculture. During the anthrax scare last year, Iowa's National Guard was called up to boost security at the USDA laboratories near Iowa State University in Ames. The facilities house viruses and bacteria that can be harmful to the farm industry and humans. However, 6 months later the National Guard was no longer guarding the labs. At some facilities, security appeared nonexistent. "I honestly don't know how we have been successful in escaping a major outbreak like in Europe," said one US meat industry official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "Our labs are a joke." One of the USDA laboratories in Ames is responsible for testing animals for mad cow disease and identifying Salmonella and E. coli bacteria (news - web sites). Working within a confined space of a commercial strip mall next to a real estate office and hardware store, scientists at the laboratory test thousands of cattle brains each year for mad cow disease. The United States has never found a case of this rare, degenerative, brain disorder that has devastated Europe. The facility also does not have an armed guard, a fence or any visible security protecting it. Levings said USDA scientists must use an electronic access card to enter the building. USDA officials gave reporters a tour of the laboratory last week. "It's incredible they have to do their work in a strip mall," said Richard Ross, a veterinarian at Iowa State University. "Someone could break in. They need to have better security." Last year, the US Animal Health Association said the building had significant deficiencies including a leaky roof, mice, and ground water seepage. Despite the out-of-date facilities, Levings said the USDA could handle a major animal disease outbreak with the help of regional and state laboratories, which are trained and certified by the USDA. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20020430/hl_nm/usda_security_1 Aging research facility called 'inefficient' Heightened concern over the potential introduction of foreign animal diseases such as foot-and-mouth and "mad cow" have re-ignited calls from the U.S. livestock industry for the Agriculture Department to construct a new national animal health research facility. The existing facilities in Ames, Iowa, are "antiquated and inefficient," Farm Bureau and a group of livestock organizations recently wrote to Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman. The existing facilities used by the National Animal Disease Center, the National Veterinary Services Laboratories and the Center for Veterinary Biologics seriously undermine USDA's role as a world leader in animal health and diagnostics, said Caroline Anderson, an American Farm Bureau Federation director of governmental relations. The aging laboratories are scattered across the city, one of which is housed in a former strip mall making necessities such as proper containment and disinfection difficult because of the porous structure of walls and ceilings. "The diagnostic lab is located in a strip mall rather than a biosecure facility," said Dr. Ken Olson, an AFBF animal health specialist. The primary facility, which was constructed in the late 1950s does not meet international standards for animal health. Virtually every critical system--ventilation, electrical, sewage treatment, biocontainment, incineration, and heating and cooling--is antiquated. "If we're going to be an international player, the United States needs to meet the standards that we require of our trading partners and provide industry with the needed support," Olson said. "The overall needs for animal health work around the world have changed since the facilities were built," Olson said. "We must keep abreast of these changes to ensure the well-being of animal agriculture and the public." Some of the major changes include: * The emergence of significant new animal diseases around the world that threaten the United States, such as mad cow disease. USDA's Animal Plant Health Inspection Service and Agricultural Research Service proposed to build an upgrade that would house all three laboratories, but the "$400 million price tag attached to the new facility is a lot of money--a lot of new (appropriations) money," Anderson admitted. But a new facility is a vital component in a world class system to safeguard animal health and our animal industries, Olson said. "This is not the time to allow the U.S. infrastructure to disintegrate," Anderson said. http://www.fb.com/news/fbn/01/03_19/html/aging.html TSS
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