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2-3-2004 |
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USDA SECRETARY VENEMAN APPOINTS WVDA AGRICULTURE COMMISSIONER DOUGLASS TO FIFTH TERM ON ANIMAL DISEASE COMMITTEE U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman recently reappointed West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture Gus R. Douglass to the USDA’s Foreign Animal and Poultry Diseases Advisory Committee, which Commissioner Douglass has chaired in recent years. “The work of the Foreign Animal and Poultry Disease Committee is more important than ever in the wake of the mad cow incidents in Canada and Washington,” said Bobby Acord, Administrator of USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and a West Virginia native. “I’m grateful for Commissioner Douglass’ service on the Committee. His knowledge and experience are a great asset in protecting animal health in this country.” “I’m honored that Secretary Veneman has renewed my appointment to the Committee,” said Commissioner Douglass. “I’m extremely proud of the work being done by this committee, which is of the utmost importance to our security as a nation. The introduction of a foreign animal disease (FAD) to our shores – either accidentally or by intent – could have devastating consequences for American agriculture and the consuming public.” The Committee’s purpose is to provide expert study and analysis of FADs that may pose a threat to American agriculture. The committee recommends to the administration ways to prevent the introduction of FADs to the United States, and methods to contain and eradicate FADs should they be discovered. The Committee is made up of 18 members, each serving a two-year term. Members include representatives from trade associations, universities, state departments of agriculture, as well as agricultural producers. Contact: Buddy Davidson The West Virginia Department of Agriculture protects plant, animal and human health through a variety of scientific, regulatory and consumer protection programs, as mandated by state law. The Commissioner of Agriculture is one of six statewide elected officials in West Virginia. Currently, Commissioner Gus R. Douglass is the longest-serving agriculture commissioner in the nation. For more information, visit www.wvagriculture.org. |
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©2001, 2002 West Virginia Department of Agriculture, All Rights Reserved |
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