The National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility, for research into some of the most feared livestock diseases, was allotted $300 million as part of congressional approval of funding for the Department of Homeland Security. The laboratory will replace the USDA’s Plum Island Animal Disease Center, which has been in operation since 1954. Drovers CattleNetwork said the $300 million was “needed to complete construction” of NBAF at Kansas State University at a cost of $1.25 billion. The state of Kansas will pay a quarter of the cost, said CattleNetwork.
“Current plans call for construction of the main laboratory to begin in May 2015, with completion planned for December 2020 and full transition from the Plum Island site by August 2023,” said CattleNetwork. Funding for NBAF was included in a section of Title IV of the bill dealing with research.