The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) held a ribbon cutting ceremony on May 24, 2023 to announce the official “opening” of the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF). The NBAF, located in Manhattan, Kansas, will ultimately replace the Plum Island Animal Disease Diagnostic Center (PIADDC) located in New York. The PIADDC has served as the nation’s research and regulatory diagnostic facility for transboundary animal diseases (often referred to as foreign animal diseases) since 1954 under USDA. The facility at Plum Island served the country’s livestock industries well during those nearly 70 years but has aged well beyond its prime.
I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to participate in a swine-focused Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostician class in 2000 on Plum Island. I have been back for meetings and tours several times over the years. Even in 2000, the facility was showing its age. It needed a serious influx of cash for maintenance and upgrades for many years. Paint was peeling and roofs were leaking. Much of the research space was dark and dungeon-like. Its biosafety level (BSL) -3 designation allowed researchers to work on most diseases of importance to livestock. The country, however, had no capability to research BSL-4 agents in large animals. In addition, the high-level containment facilities at Plum Island only allowed for research on small numbers of large-animal species such as cows and pigs.
In response to the events of 9-11, the US government officially recognized agriculture as a critical infrastructure. The newly formed Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was tasked with protecting that infrastructure and took over the management of Plum Island in 2002. The USDA was ordered to provide funding to help support DHS’s takeover of the facility. Over the strong objections of the US swine industry, USDA decided to eliminate the African swine fever (ASF) research program at Plum Island to help provide the necessary funding. The government’s rationale at the time was that ASF had never been in the United States and had long been confined to Sardinia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Thus, the ASF research program was discontinued. This decision effectively ended most of the vaccine and diagnostic research globally prior to the current outbreak.
To their credit, DHS was able to bring much needed dollars to maintain, repair, and upgrade the facilities at Plum Island and increase the level of security. It was soon realized, however, that a major overhaul was needed if the PIADDC was to continue to effectively and safely address the research, diagnostic, and regulatory issues associated with pathogens of concern to US animal agriculture. Ultimately it was determined that a new facility should be constructed and would be located on the mainland.
After considering almost 30 potential sites, DHS selected Manhattan, Kansas in 2008. Following challenges to the site selected and additional site-specific risk assessments, construction began in 2010 with clearing and grading of the proposed site. Actual construction of the laboratory began in 2015. In 2014, the federal government budgeted $440 million for construction of the facility. Over the years, the budget ballooned to a final cost of $1.25 billion for the 574,000 square-foot facility. Design and construction were focused on ensuring the security of the laboratory from potential intruders and to keep pathogens from escaping. At the time of the ribbon cutting, there were approximately 280 of the projected 400 employees working at the facility. One of the issues AASV and others in animal agriculture have raised is the need to ensure that USDA and Congress are committed to adequately funding the ongoing maintenance and security necessary to safely operate the lab. Although I have not seen any official estimates of what this cost may be, I have heard figures as high as $100 million annually. That would be a significant hit to USDA’s annual budget and must be addressed with additional funding rather than pirating existing programs.
I was fortunate to have the opportunity to tour the NBAF just prior to the ribbon cutting. It is a beautifully designed facility and obviously state of the art. It should function well to service the needs of animal agriculture for decades to come. I am interested to see what research will be undertaken to justify the construction and maintenance of the facility. We in the livestock industry need to work hard to ensure that animal agriculture’s needs remain paramount.
I will admit, it is a little sad to see the closure of Plum Island. It was such an iconic facility in support of animal agriculture with such a storied history. It is still unclear what will happen to that property. The latest I have seen is a proposal to preserve it as a national monument or perhaps it may be sold. I think it is important to recognize and thank all those researchers and employees who endured everything that working on Plum Island entailed. Working on Plum Island was fraught with challenges. There was a general lack of local support coupled with suspicion about activities on the island. Getting to work every day meant often braving a stomach-churning boat ride, and the occasional threat that one may have to leave work early or plan to spend the night if the weather turned severe. Their dedication to their mission, despite the numerous challenges, resulted in an amazing amount of high-quality, globally recognized research targeting potentially devastating livestock diseases. The US and global animal agriculture industries owe those folks a debt of gratitude and they set a high standard for our expectations at NBAF. And, it is nice to see that the alien has a nice new home.
Harry Snelson, DVM
Executive Director