A new poultry research facility has opened in the USA, run by the government’s department of agriculture.
The USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory, opened its new research facility this week in Georgia.
Its focus will be research into eradication and control of highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks, as well as data for control of Newcastle disease, reoviruses, infectious bursal disease, Marek’s disease, and other exotic and emerging viruses of poultry and other birds.
The USDA’s chief scientist, Dr Chavonda Jacobs-Young, spoke about the importance of this kind of infrastructure investment in poultry research during the ceremony.
“This modernised facility will serve as the largest poultry research complex in the United States, housing the largest number of researchers and staff dedicated to preventing, discovering, and solving poultry health problems,” said Jacobs-Young.
The laboratory has been at the forefront of developing the molecular test used in the United States and globally to diagnose avian influenza and Newcastle disease, developing vaccines for emergency use and commercial application, tracking the virus movement and spread, and understanding how to break the transmission cycle.