Posted on 09/20/2002 7:42:53 PM PDT by blam
Report weighs terror threat to US food supply
A panel of scientists has found the US is still vulnerable to bioterrorism aimed at farms that produce the nation's food.
The report has come from the National Research Council, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences.
The report found an attack is unlikely to result in a famine or malnutrition, but could shake public confidence in the food supply.
It warns the effects of this would be devastating, costing anywhere from millions of dollars to tens of billions of dollars.
The report lists vulnerabilities it says remains in federal government's plan to defend against a bioterrorist attack on agriculture, drawn up in the wake of the September 11 attacks.
It says terrorists could carry diseases past US border inspectors to farms in remote areas, infecting cattle with mad cow disease, spreading anthrax or contaminating corn with bacteria.
It urged officials to improve their communication with intelligence agencies, universities and farm groups to help the public cope with food and farm security threats.
The group also suggested the government strengthen its border inspections by adding new equipment to detect harmful bacteria and diseases.
Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman responded with a statement saying the agency already is taking steps to improve security and its response to an attack on crops or farm animals.
She says the agency has increased research programs that will make it easier to detect diseases, giving $43 million this year to states and land grant universities to improve screening equipment.
Story filed: 10:22 Friday 20th September 2002
p.s. the winter veggies were planted last week
I am prepared. My parents are/were the children of farmers.
Seeds, tillers, pesticides and, etc. I worry about the BATF though with all this fertlizer I have stored in the shed. (13-13-13)
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