The National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility officially opened Wednesday after nearly two decades of planning by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Homeland Security.
The $1.25 billion facility located in Manhattan, Kansas will replace the DHS’ Plum Island Animal Disease Center in New York.
Secretary Tom Vilsack says its research will be critically important to protect the agricultural industry and it has the highest level of biocontainment laboratories and safety protocols in the U.S.