USDA to Acquire National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility

(WASHINGTON, DC) Officials from USDA and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) signed a Memorandum of Agreement this week that formally outlines how ownership and operational responsibility for the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) will transfer from DHS to USDA. When completed, the new facility will be a biosafety level-4 laboratory in Manhattan, Kansas, for the study of diseases that threaten both U.S. agriculture and public health. Under the terms of the agreement, DHS retains responsibility for completing construction and commissioning of the $1.25 billion facilities, while USDA will assume responsibility for all operational planning and eventual operation of the facility. The project is on schedule and on budget for completion in December 2020, and ownership will be formally transferred to USDA in May of 2021. This lab will replace the current facility on Plum Island, New York.