U.S. Meat Animal Research Center
The Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) is a livestock research facility in Clay Center, Nebraska. The center researches methods for increasing the efficiency of livestock production.
The center maintains around 30,000 animals for its experiments.[1]
The U.S. Meat Animal Research Center was designated by Congress on June 16, 1964 following the closure of the Naval Ammunition Depot, which produced bombs and shells during World War II. The property was transferred to the United States Department of Agriculture. On October 10, 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed into law a bill renaming the facility after former Senator Roman L. Hruska of Nebraska.[2]
USMARC has developed a genetics program and a project for evaluating germplasm. The project grew into a large breed comparison study.[3]
In January 2015 Michael Moss of The New York Times published an exposé on the alleged mistreatment of research animals at USMARC. Among other things, Moss's article asserted that the center had no veterinarians on its staff, with surgical procedures done by workers without veterinary degrees or licenses; and that the 1966 Animal Welfare Act contains an exemption for farm animals used in agricultural research, which exemption covers the USMARC's activities.[1]
References
- 1 2 Moss, Michael (January 19, 2015). "U.S. Research Lab Lets Livestock Suffer in Quest for Profit". The New York Times.
- ↑ "U.S. Department of Agriculture: Agricultural Research Service, Lincoln, Nebraska Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center". University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
- ↑ "U.S. Meat Animal Research Center Celebrates 50 Years". Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. May 2, 2014.
External links
Coordinates: 40°31′36″N 98°08′27″W / 40.52666°N 98.14080°W