The Chancellor of the Exchequer has pledged £80 million support to go towards the further development of research facilities for Animal Health at Pirbright. The funding will be made available to the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, who have also promised to contribute towards the construction of the £100m development of the Institute for Animal Health campus at Pirbright.

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This phase will include the development of new high containment laboratories, experimental facilities and supporting infrastructure for studying avian and other animal diseases and to support the development of new vaccines and tests. BBSRC said this would lead to a third innovation development phase for the campus.

Minister for Universities and Science David Willetts said, "The UK is a world leader in research into animal diseases, underpinned by the excellent work of BBSRC and the Institute for Animal Health. This significant investment in Pirbright will drive growth, create highly-skilled jobs and improve our understanding of diseases that can have devastating effects on our rural economy, including avian flu. Not only is this vital for our agricultural industry but it also helps ensure future global food security."

The new facilities are due to become operational in early 2014 and will work on a range of important animal diseases, aiding the UK and international agricultural communities. They will also house the IAH's site at Compton in Berkshire, which is scheduled to close. Research will focus on the poultry industry, which is worth £8bn to the UK economy.

Professor Douglas Kell, BBSRC Chief Executive, welcomed the news, "Investment in research and national research infrastructure has been shown to be the best way to generate long-term economic growth. The Institute for Animal Health at Pirbright is not only involved in furthering scientific knowledge and promoting innovation but in protecting animal health, rural livelihoods and food security. The new facilities for studying avian and other diseases will help to protect huge sectors in the UK economy and protect hundreds of thousands of jobs that would be at risk during an animal disease outbreak."

Professor John Fazakerley, IAH Director, said, "This is very good news for the Institute for Animal Health as it takes us a step closer to our vision of a key global hub for research and innovation in animal virology and related disciplines. The new facilities in this next phase of development are urgently required to underpin UK and EU capability in research on virus infections of poultry and livestock. They will provide a single site that has a variety of bio-containment level working environments."

As well as its poultry focus, the investment will also help IAH scientists to study other diseases in animals, including those that can cross species. A human pandemic, such as bird flu, has been identified as a top tier national security threat. The new facilities at Pirbright will become an important part of the UK's critical national security and preparedness infrastructure by allowing scientists to study avian influenza in the natural bird host.

According to estimates, a serious outbreak of avian influenza would cost the UK around 5 per cent of GDP, or £68Bn.

Peter Kendall, President of the National Farmers Union, welcomed the news on behalf of the farming industry. He said, "We are delighted with the investment at Pirbright, which will allow the Institute for Animal Health to build on its world-leading work on combating animal diseases like bird flu and foot and mouth, and help underpin the future of livestock farming."

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