AGROTERRORISM:

• A terrorist attack aimed at the safety of our food supply and agricultural infrastructure could cause widespread and long-term damage.   Terrorism experts have acknowledged that contaminating the food chain would be easier than direct attacks on humans. That is particularly true when the issue is safeguarding our crops and livestock herds from threats posed by the unintentional introduction of foreign diseases or pests. It’s much easier to weaponize biological pathogens to destroy agricultural livestock than creating munitions designed to kill people. Several factors account for this:

•      There are many more agents that are lethal and highly contagious to animals than is the case with humans, many of which are not routinely vaccinated against. At least 22 such diseases are known to exist.
   

•       U.S. livestock has become progressively more disease prone in recent years as a result of intensive antibiotic and steroid programs and husbandry changes designed to elevate the volume, quality and quantity of meat production.
   

•       U. S. livestock industry is particularly vulnerable to agroterrorism because it is primarily made up of large operations that are highly concentrated, making the spread of disease easier and an epidemic harder to control.

Should an epidemic of foot-and–mouth disease or African horse sickness occur in the USA, it could have severe repercussions in terms of creating a mass public scare, particularly if human deaths occurred. Terrorists could use this to their advantage, allowing them to create a general atmosphere of fear and anxiety without actually having to carry out indiscriminate civilian-oriented attacks.

Since the chances of an agroterrorist attack in this country are low and the vulnerability of the agriculture industry is high, it behooves farmers and ranchers to develop biosecurity plans for their operations.  This coupled with a strong national animal health surveillance program will help deter such events from happening and, in turn, protect America’s food supply.

Useful Links:

CNS - Chemical & Biological Weapons Resource Page

Federation of American Scientists, Chemical & Biological Arms Control Program - Agricultural Biowarfare & Bioterrorism

Federation of American Scientists - The Role of Disease Surveillance in the Watch for Argo-terrorism or Economic Sabotage