Agroterrorism: where are we in the ongoing war on terrorism?

Area of Science:

• Agricultural infrastructure security
• Biodefense and agroterrorism preparedness

Background:

• The U.S. agricultural infrastructure, while highly productive, possesses inherent vulnerabilities to biological weapon attacks.
• Expert assessments indicate a significant and persistent risk to the nation's food supply chain from agroterrorism.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the critical need for enhanced biodefense strategies within the U.S. agricultural sector.
• To address vulnerabilities in detecting and responding to agroterrorist threats.

Main Methods:

• Review of past outbreaks (e.g., West Nile, anthrax, monkeypox, E. coli) to identify gaps.
• Analysis of existing government and private sector initiatives for agricultural security.
• Assessment of communication, surveillance, and education needs.

Main Results:

• Recent outbreaks underscore deficiencies in communication, emergency response, surveillance, and education.
• Existing preparedness efforts require significant improvement across all governmental and private sectors.
• Current agricultural infrastructure remains susceptible to agroterrorist threats.

Conclusions:

• An interdisciplinary advisory group comprising public health, human health, and animal health experts is recommended.
• Establishing benchmarks for communication, surveillance, and education is vital for assessing and mitigating weaknesses.
• Increased utilization of existing food and agricultural preparedness guidelines is advised.