LONDON (Reuters) -Britain will invest 1 billion pounds ($1.35 billion) to establish a biosecurity centre, boosting its efforts to prevent a future pandemic by detecting high-risk animal diseases and other biological threats.
The government said on Tuesday that the National Biosecurity Centre is expected to begin full operation in 2033/34 at a site in Surrey, southwest of London, which is already home to high-containment animal health laboratories.
The centre is part of a broader National Security Strategy to be published later on Tuesday.
“Farmers and food producers will now be better protected from diseases, our food security strengthened, and public health better safeguarded against future pandemics,” British Environment Secretary Steve Reed said in a statement.
The new centre will form part of a network of laboratories that will respond to biological security risks and threats, including from hostile nations, the government said.
($1 = 0.7426 pounds)
(Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar; editing by William James)
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