On the recordJune 5, 2013
After an exhaustive review, the Department of Homeland Security chose Manhattan, Kansas, as the site for the new BSL-4 National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility. This will be the only such facility capable of researching large animals in the United States. The construction of this cutting-edge facility must move forward quickly so we can safely conduct critical research to develop vaccines and countermeasures in order to protect the public and our livestock from the threats of devastating diseases. Not only will the NBAF accelerate America's ability to protect ourselves, our food supply, and the agriculture economy from biological threats, it will also be the world's premier animal health research facility and further solidify our Nation's place as the international leader in animal health. The NBAF is needed to replace the obsolete and increasingly expensive Plum Island Animal Disease Center. This lab was built in the 1950s and has reached the end of its life. The facility does not contain the necessary biosafety level to meet the NBAF research requirements--and it never will. Any attempts to upgrade Plum Island would cost more than building the NBAF. Currently, we don't have the ability to research the effects of disease on large animals, such as foot-and-mouth disease, African swine fever, and Rift Valley fever, at any facility in the United States, nor can we rely on international partners for our own security needs. The NBAF project has a history of broad-based support.…
