National Bio and Agro Defense Facility
Agriculture Sectary Tom Vilsack will be on site to cut the ribbon at the official opening of the level-4 National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) in Manhattan, Kansas, May 24, 2023. According to a recent press release Kansas Senator Jerry Moran and former Senator Pat Roberts will also be present. Senator Roberts was instrumental in advocating for the facility to be built in Kansas. The 574,000 square-foot facility’s acquisition cost was $1.25 billion. The cost was fully funded through a combination of $938 million in federal appropriations, $307 million in funding provided by the State of Kansas, and $5 million from the City of Manhattan, Kansas. The biocontainment laboratory facility will provide state-of-the-art infrastructure for developing vaccines, performing diagnostics, and developing countermeasures against large animal foreign animal diseases (FADs) and zoonotic diseases. The 48-acre NBAF campus, with support facilities, contains more than 700,000 square feet of facility space. The Department of Homeland Security in coordination with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) led the design of NBAF and built the facility to standards that fulfill USDA’s mission needs. The NBAF will replace the Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC) located off the coast of New York, a biosafety level-3 facility that is more than 68 years old. Currently, USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) conduct foreign animal disease research, training and diagnostics in this center. ARS and APHIS will transfer their research and diagnostic missions from PIADC to NBAF and will operate the facility jointly.
According to the USDA’s website the NBAF meets or exceeds all modern biocontainment design principles and standards. Redundant safety and containment features establish critical life safety systems, including supply and exhaust air filtration, breathing air systems, decontamination systems, exhaust fans, emergency and/or uninterrupted power supply, etc. All recommendations identified in the NBAF risk assessment were incorporated into the facility’s design.
Despite government reassurances, some livestock producers are skeptical of the true safety of the facility. Bill Bullard, CEO of R-CALF feels that there is no justification for building the facility in the heart of the beef belt. “We are very much opposed to it. We can’t understand why they are willing to risk bringing live foot and mouth disease on the mainland.”
He said that it is an accident waiting to happen and is very irresponsible of the USDA. “The old facility at Plum Island is isolated and posed no risk. Studies have show that (the new facility) is as likely as not to have an accidental release of a virus.”
The Biosecurity Research Institute website states that the Biosecurity Research Institute (BRI) at Pat Roberts Hall on the Kansas State University Manhattan campus is a unique biocontainment research and education facility that has helped K-State become a national leader in biodefense research. The BRI played a critical role in the selection of Manhattan as the site for the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility. Research, education, and training at the BRI are closely aligned with NBAF needs and priorities.
USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) researchers at NBAF will work to deliver scientific information and countermeasures to protect United States agriculture and combat threats to public health from foreign animal diseases that exist in animals but can infect humans. USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) protects U.S. livestock from foreign and emerging diseases by conducting diagnostic testing of suspicious animal health situations and training veterinarians in the detection of high consequence animal diseases.
NBAF also will be the future home of the Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (FADDL) currently located at the Plum Island Facility. FADDL’s mission is to provide 24/7 diagnostic testing to rapidly detect and respond to an introduction of a high-consequence, foreign animal disease into the United States like foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) or African swine fever. But because NBAF will have the first high-containment, Biosafety Level (BSL) 4 facility for livestock in the U.S. They will also be able to identify, conduct research and develop veterinary countermeasures for the most high-consequence zoonotic diseases that can infect both livestock and people. “Being able to identify these diseases in animals as soon as possible is critical to minimizing the impact on public health. The training facilities at NBAF will allow us to double the number of veterinarians trained by the FADDL team every year as part of the Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostician Course, which provides an opportunity for federal and state veterinarians to see these diseases in real time so they can better understand them and know what to look for should an outbreak occur,” USDA website stated.
AJ. Tarpoff, Associate Professor/Beef Extension Veterinarian at Kansas State University said that recently the National Bio and Agro Defense Facility held a cattlemen’s day where they addressed concerns and answered questions from area cattle producers. “They also have an entire communications team to answer questions and so far, it has been very well received.”
He said the facility is the most bio-secure facility ever built. “It is completely enclosed, tornado secure, has an advanced air filtration system and anything that enters will not leave. The more you know about the facility the more you realize how safe and secure that it will be, and I feel it will be a great partnership into the future.”
“The work at NBAF will be aimed at ensuring our nation is prepared for and protected against high consequence animal diseases, including ones that can also affect people. This will protect our agriculture, our economy and our citizens alike,” according to the USDA website.