The government is to invest £1 billion into a new National Biosecurity Centre (NBC) at the existing Animal & Plant Health Agency (APHA) animal science site at Weybridge in Surrey, making it the UK’s foremost animal biosecurity facility.
The announcement follows last month’s National Audit Office report warning that the UK’s public bodies are insufficiently prepared for the rising risk of a major animal disease outbreak and would be likely to struggle to cope should one occur.
In February, Defra secretary Steve Reed announced a £208m investment in a National Biosecurity Centre, which would modernise APHA’s facilities at Weybridge and protect farmers, food producers and exporters from disease outbreaks.
Planning permission for the NBC is already in place and a contractor appointed to build the main new facilities at Weybridge. Defra says the first interim laboratories will be ready in 2027 and 2028, with construction of the main facility commencing in 2027. The full NBC should be live and operational for 2033/34.
“Without strong and modernised biosecurity infrastructure, disease incursions could severely impact our farmers and agricultural production, devastate rural communities and disrupt key supply chains,” note Defra and the APHA. The export of livestock, meat and meat products, dairy and animal by-products is worth £16 billion per year alone to the UK economy.”
“The funding will now enhance the country’s detection, surveillance and control capabilities for high-risk animal diseases such as avian influenza, foot and mouth disease and African swine fever, whilst enhancing our ability to manage concurrent disease outbreaks.”
Defra secretary Steve Reed adds: “The high containment laboratories for animal health, run by APHA at Weybridge, urgently need renewal to handle escalating disease risks, which are growing in the face of our changing climate. The government inherited laboratories in poor condition with their long-term future in doubt and the country facing increased risk without action.
“The new facility will join a network of national centres set up by the Cabinet Office under the UK Biological Security Strategy. The network will strengthen and formalise existing collaborations between the UK Health Security Agency, APHA and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory. It will ensure we are better prepared for a crisis, can respond more effectively when an incident does happen and deliver a more holistic approach to biological research.
“The new National Biosecurity Centre will play an essential role in addressing the full range of biological threats we face, including from hostile nations, and will ensure that the UK retains the scientific capability, infrastructure and expertise needed to lead international efforts to identify, manage, and mitigate disease threats in the years ahead,” concludes Mr Reed.