Seeds of agro-terror

Washington Times ^ | Friday, July 16, 2004 | By Austin Bay

[JohnHuang2]

The Washington Times
www.washingtontimes.com

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Seeds of agro-terror

By Austin Bay
Published July 16, 2004

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Does "agricultural terrorism" pose a real threat? The answer is yes, and not only to the United States and the rest of North America, but to the entire planet.
    Agro-terror, closely associated with other forms of "bio-terror," illustrates just how difficult it is to passively defend against terror assaults.
    Terror attacks on food resources and production obviously threaten farm animals, plants and the food supply chain, but agro-terror is also economic terror.
    Britain's bout with Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), which began in February 2001, predated the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, but it's an object lesson for al Qaeda. FMD attacks hooved animals (it used to be known as Hoof and Mouth disease). Ultimately, Britain had a few thousand confirmed FMD cases, but nearly 3 million animals were destroyed in an effort to contain the epidemic.
    Texas Agriculture Commissioner Susan Combs told me she knows the livestock sector is particularly vulnerable to terrorists spreading a disease like FMD. "An attack like that," Mrs. Combs said, "is an economic catastrophe. Like the situation in Britain, it's not just the individual infected animal you have to slaughter. There's a ripple effect, from the threat of the epidemic." Mrs. Combs said sheep and pigs, as well as cattle, are vulnerable. "These are huge industries in this country."
    Mrs. Combs and other ag experts have participated in exercises -- "war games," she said -- that have examined potential biological and economic effects. "At first there's a direct impact on the immediate region, where the disease is first detected, even in one animal." But, the gaming indicated "in a matter of several days we could have breakouts of virus [like FMD], over a multi-state area."
    On economic damage: "One outbreak we wargamed began in a tiny Texas town. Given the ripple effect, the initial economic cost was $50 million to $100 million. I don't think that figure captured real costs. In reality, it would be much higher."

[Iowa Granny]

Thanks for posting this. As an agriculturalist, I'm especially interested in this potential problem.