Biosecurity Basics for the Beef Industry
Agroterrorism and Biosecurity
The tragic events of Sept 11, 2001 ushered in a new resolve to secure our borders and property from terror threats. As part of the effort to prevent future attacks on our homeland, Americans are assessing the threat of terrorism against every sector of society. Intentionally introducing a foreign animal or plant disease into the U.S. would not be terribly difficult, according to agroterrorism experts.
Agricultural terrorism is not necessarily about killing animals or destroying crops, it’s about crippling an economy. Contributing to the vulnerability of U.S. agriculture are the trends of intensive methods, vertical integration of food production, and an increasing dependence on import and export markets.
In addition to foreign-based agroterrorism threats, threats from domestic elements exist. Extreme environmental and animal rights activists have often been criminal in their opposition to what they term "factory farming" and "imprisonment and exploitation" of animals. Some also fanatically oppose use of genetically modified organisms, trends in global agriculture and meat consumption in general.
Whether an act of terrorism against agriculture is probable or possible is an issue for anti–terrorism specialists and law enforcement agencies. But, awareness is the first step toward in keeping U.S. agriculture from becoming a direct victim of terrorism.
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Montana Beef Quality Assurance,
2116 Broadwater Ave., Suite 307/11
Billings, MT 59102,
406-896-9068,
cpeck@montana.edu
Montana Beef Network,
119 Linfield Hall
Bozeman, MT 59718,
406-994-4323,
mharbac@montana.edu