Plum Island Research Mission

Plum Island Virtual Tour

Sample of Plum Island research: "African Swine Fever Poses a Risk to U.S. Hogs." —From Agricultural Research magazine.

MEDIA ADVISORY:

USDA Launches New Web Site on Plum Island Animal Disease Center

BELTSVILLE, Md., May 1— http://www.ars.usda.gov/plum is the Internet address for a new U.S. Department of Agriculture web site that offers a virtual tour of the Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC), located just off Orient Point, Long Island, N.Y.

A 15-minute ferry ride from Orient Point, Plum Island is home to two USDA agencies—the Agricultural Research Service and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service—that conduct research and diagnostics on animal diseases such as African swine fever that aren’t present in the U.S., but could pose a major economic threat to agriculture in this country.

ARS posted the website today so the public can learn more about the Plum Island center’s research mission, scientific accomplishments, safety measures, history and other topics. Each can be accessed with the point-and-click of a computer mouse.

Starting from the website’s home page, visitors can also embark on a virtual tour of Plum Island that includes 76 pages of color photos and text. Other features include links for news media, ARS and APHIS press releases, and contact information for questions or comments.

Contacts: Jan Suszkiw or Jim De Quattro, ARS Information Staff, Beltsville, Md., phone (301) 504-1630 (Suszkiw), (301) 504-1626 (De Quattro); fax (301) 504-1641; [email protected], [email protected].