Agriculture Secretary Brook Rollins announced in July that BARC would be closed as part of a major reorganisation of the department. Some of the employees are planned to be transferred to research hubs in North Carolina, Utah and other states. One of the reasons cited for the closure is the high cost of modernising the complex — about $500 million plus $40 million in annual maintenance.
However, critics believe that such steps could harm long-term projects and lead to the dismissal of leading scientists.
‘It is unlikely that scientists of this calibre, with established professional connections, will simply move to another location,’ said Donnell Brown, president of the National Grape Research Alliance, which uses BARC's research findings in the field of vineyard irrigation and vine stress resistance.
Maryland Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen added that the closure would effectively ‘destroy years of research that has been done to support farmers across the country.’
Employees of the centre, who wished to remain anonymous, emphasise that it is the cooperation of many laboratories on one site that allows them to save money and quickly interact with government officials and other USDA structures.
Despite the outrage of scientists and congressmen, USDA representatives say that BARC's research will be transferred to other laboratories and the closure process will be spread over several years to minimise the risk of disrupting critical projects.
Additional tension is caused by the fact that, according to members of Congress, the USDA has not provided a reasonable analysis or financial calculations to confirm the effectiveness of this decision. Maryland Representative Glenn Ivy said:
‘They say it will save money, but I haven't seen any research to prove that.’
The closure of BARC, which covers nearly 2,800 hectares and is a key centre for agricultural research in the United States, could be one of the USDA's most controversial decisions in recent years and jeopardise the development of a number of innovative areas in agriculture.
PigUA.info based on materials from thepigsite.com