Dept. of Agriculture launches $10M upgrade of Dorado veterinary lab
The Puerto Rico Department of Agriculture has begun a $10 million modernization of the Dr. Gabriel González Calderín Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Dorado, a project designed to establish the facility as a leading veterinary reference center in the Caribbean.
Funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the investment will equip Puerto Rico to perform advanced veterinary diagnostic tests locally.
“With the modernization of the Dr. Gabriel González Calderín Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, Puerto Rico will have the local capacity for the first time to perform a wide range of advanced diagnostic tests without relying on sending samples to the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Iowa,” said Gov. Jenniffer González during a tour of the lab.
The upgraded lab will operate at biosafety level 2 (BSL-2) and could also serve neighboring areas such as the Dominican Republic, U.S. Virgin Islands and Central America. It will also improve coordination with agencies such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and USDA to control cross-border disease outbreaks, officials said.
“This project responds precisely to that call for immediacy and tangible results,” said Agriculture Secretary Josué E. Rivera. “We’re taking a historic step toward making this laboratory the most advanced in the region, enhancing our diagnostic capabilities and strengthening food safety and public health.”
As part of the project, the department also signed an agreement with Ana G. Méndez University to launch a summer research program in veterinary clinical pathology for first-year students.
“This collaboration allows us to integrate future veterinarians into real-world settings from an early age,” Rivera said.
Planned improvements include new air handling systems, cold storage, biosafety cabinets and molecular analysis laboratories. The project is expected to create jobs and support economic activity in Dorado and surrounding areas.
“This laboratory will be key to our ability to respond to diseases such as avian influenza and African swine fever,” Rivera said. “Its modernization positions Puerto Rico as a regional leader in animal health and strengthens the resilience of our agricultural production.”
