Source: Lisa M. Keefe, MEATINGPLACE, 6/24/19


The USDA and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have a formal agreement on how they will transfer ownership and operational responsibility for the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) from DHS’ Science and Technology Directorate to USDA, the agencies announced in a joint press release.

When completed, NBAF will be a biosafety level-4 laboratory in Manhattan, Kansas, for the study of diseases that threaten both U.S. agriculture and public health. As part of the formal agreement, USDA released its strategic plan for the facility.

Under the terms of the memorandum, DHS retains responsibility for completing construction and commissioning of the $1.25 billion facility, while USDA will assume responsibility for all operational planning and eventual operation of the facility. DHS’ efforts are on schedule and on budget to complete construction in December 2020 and to complete commissioning in May 2021, when ownership of NBAF will be formally transferred to USDA.

NBAF will be the first facility in the United States with maximum bio-containment, BSL-4 labs, where researchers can develop vaccines and diagnostics for high-consequence animal diseases, including those that can also affect human health.

The DHS/USDA partnership on NBAF began with initial planning in 2006. The state-of-the-art NBAF facility will replace the aging Plum Island Animal Disease Center in New York. The Manhattan, Kansas, site strategically places it near the largest concentration of animal health companies in the world, providing access to important veterinary, agricultural and biosecurity research and expertise, the release said.

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