USDA Foot and Mouth Disease Research Laboratory Records

Collection

Identifier: MS0375

Staff Only

Content Description

The USDA Foot and Mouth Disease Research Laboratory Records consist of office files, correspondence, newspaper clippings, press releases, publications, reports to Congress, and materials related to cooperation between the United States and Mexico to eradicate foot-and-mouth disease in Mexico. These records support the plans of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to increase the security of the United States from foot-and-mouth disease through research during the late 1940s.

Dates

Creation: 1943-1956
Creation: Majority of material found within 1947-1949

Conditions Governing Access

Contact Special Collections for access.

Organizational History

In the 1940s, foot-and-mouth disease was one of the world's most widespread and costly livestock maladies. The U.S. Congress passed Public Law 496 in 1948, which authorized the establishment of a foot-and-mouth disease research laboratory on a coastal island separated from the mainland. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Bureau of Animal Industry developed preliminary plans for the project, gathered data on potential sites, and requested appropriation of funds. The facility was eventually constructed on Plum Island, New York.

In 1947, Congress authorized a cooperative project with Mexico to eradicate foot-and-mouth disease in Mexico. Both nations provided personnel and funds for the program. A combination of slaughter and vaccination was adopted as a control measure. By spring 1951, foot-and-mouth disease had been eradicated in Mexico.