U.S. Needs Strategy Against Agroterrorism
Compiled by staff
Published: Sep 17, 2004
The United States must develop a three-pronged strategy in an effort to pre-empt an attack or defend the nation against agroterrorism, says a new report authored by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). This strategy should include deterrence and prevention, detection and response, and recovery and management of the crisis.
The 49-page report entitled, Agroterrorism: Threats and Preparedness, establishes that agriculture has several characteristics that pose unique problems for managing the threat including geographical considerations, production concentration, commingling of raw materials, export ramifications and lack of veterinary expertise. Agroterrorism is defined as the deliberate introduction of an animal or plant disease with the goal of generating fear, causing economic losses, and/or undermining stability. In order to stave off possible international terrorist attacks, the report recommends:
Deterrence and Prevention: Establishment of inspection and quarantine practices, and pre-clearing certain imports off shore by APHIS.
Detection and Response: Existing frameworks for detecting identifying, reporting and tracking natural and accidental disease outbreaks need to be applied to combating agro terrorism.
Recovery and Management: Recovery begins with plans to resume husbandry of plants and animals in the affected areas, introducing new genetic traits in response to the disease or pest, and rebuilding public confidence in domestic markets.
According to CRS, the results of an attack may include major economic crises in the agriculture and food industries, loss of confidence in the government, and possibly human casualties. Humans could be at risk in terms of food safety or public health, especially if the chosen disease is transmissible to humans (zoonotic).
A major problem that exists for the security and control of agricultural production is the geographical disbursement of unsecured environments. Other unique problems include livestock concentration in confined locations and transportation and commingling with other herds. Also, according to the report, many veterinarians lack experience with foreign animal diseases that are resilient and endemic in foreign countries.
With the increase of laws and appropriations made on behalf of preparedness and agroterrorism, the report includes a review and an assessment of their impact to date. On July 13, 2004, the House passed the FY2005 agriculture appropriations bill (H.R. 4766), including several agroterrorism items.
To view the report in its entirety, click HERE.
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