U.S. Food Supply Vulnerable to Terrorism

October 29, 1999

The "strength and value" of the U.S. food and agricultural system makes it "a vulnerable terrorist target," says the chief of USDA's Agricultural Research Service. Agricultural "bioterrorism" could specifically target key animal or plant commodities and possibly do so successfully, adds Floyd P. Horn.

"Targeted activities directed at human health could include deliberate introduction of either chemical or biological agents that could be harmful or infectious to people into crops, livestock or the food processing or food supply system," Horn told a Senate Finance subcommittee.

Three countries have been identified that "reflect agriculture biological warfare capabilities," he says. The former apartheid-era government of South Africa "may have weaponized anthrax" and other pathogens that could be employed effectively against animals. Iraq has conducted research on numerous plant pathogens that can affects crops such as wheat. And the former Soviet Union had a biological warfare program "the largest of any in history" that may have involved as many as 10,000 critical personnel at facilities throughout the former Soviet Union's territories.

In addition, foreign terrorist groups have "indicated a desire to acquire" biological warfare capabilities, he adds.

USDA has a plan that includes six recommended goals: (1) prevent and deter terrorism within the United States and against U.S. interests abroad; (2) maximize international cooperation to combat terrorism; (3) improve domestic crisis and consequence planning and management; (4) safeguard public safety and protect agriculture and the nation's food supply; (5) safeguard critical infrastructures in agriculture and the nation's food supply system, and (6) conduct research to enhance counter-terrorism capabilities.

Also, USDA is cooperating with the National Security Council, the Justice Department and other entities within the federal government and has established a Counter-Terrorism Policy Council chaired by Deputy Secretary Richard Rominger and Under secretary for Food Safety Catherine Woteki.

The Russian Federation is interested in collaborating with USDA on research on "a range of peaceful civilian scientific topics," says Horn. He recently returned from an official visit to Russia "to facilitate long-term collaboration with these scientists to leverage their animal and plant disease expertise for mutually beneficial purposes while minimizing biological warfare proliferation concerns."