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Johanns Says U.S. Agriculture Vulnerable, but USDA is Taking Steps to Prevent Attacks

"It is our land and our bounty, and the systems that support them that are at stake. We must protect them."

That's how Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns ended his presentation Tuesday on what the USDA is doing to safeguard the U.S. food supply and its agricultural industry. Noting U.S. agriculture is responsible for $12.4 trillion (or more than 12% of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product) and for 16% of the jobs in the U.S., Johanns explains why agriculture and food supplies are vulnerable to those who want to disrupt the U.S. economy.

Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns outlined USDA's activities aimed at ensuring the safety of U.S. food supplies and the agricultural industry to more than 700 conferees at the FBI's first International Agroterrorism Symposium in Kansas City Tuesday.

Johanns was speaking to more than 700 law enforcement, agribusiness leaders, producers, educators and others involved in food and agriculture at the FBI's First International Symposium on Agro-Terrorism in Kansas City. The meeting, attended by representatives from Canada, Russia, Israel, Mexico, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, runs through Thursday and is aimed at bringing those from the food and agricultural industries and law enforcement together to share ideas and plan strategies.

The morning was filled with speakers who pointed out the vulnerabilities of the U.S. agricultural industry to agro-terrorism and terrorist threats, and with others who detailed various groups who have actively urged such attacks—and those who would gain by interrupting the U.S. economy and global trade.

Johanns, in one of four stops in the Kansas City area, took time to outline USDA's response to the potential for agro-terrorism in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks by al-Qaeda. The Muslim extremist group is one of many which have vowed to attack the U.S. economy, and USDA's plans take that threat seriously, he explains.

To prevent attacks and the effects of such attacks, Johanns lists the following as initiatives USDA has started since the Twin Towers fell in New York City:

• Bolstering ability to test for contaminants in plants, animals and foods.
• Educating producers and processors on standardized biosecurity measures.
• Sponsoring exercises of simulated disease outbreaks and overt agro-terrorism attacks.
• Boosting research capability for developing tests and vaccines for pathogens.
• Initiating a national system to food-related consumer complaints—to determine if such complaints are from natural or purposeful infections.
• Creating a national network of laboratories to test foods for evidence.
• Moving forward on a national identification system for animals to track them in case of disease outbreaks—natural or purposeful.
• Setting up a national plant health laboratory network.
• Setting up procedures where by local, state and federal agencies share information and responsibilties in case of an attack.

"The 9-11 attack galvanized us to action and a charge that •the threat is real'," Johanns explains, and adds: "That is USDA's position in working with the nation's law enforcement and intelligence agencies."

Four years ago, he notes, one would never have thought of the need for this kind of conference, or for USDA to be involved with the FBI or the CIA. "Sadly, the world changed," he said, noting the fact that more than 700 people were attending an agro-terrorism conference is proof of that change.