UF expert: United States can't stop terrorism aimed at agriculture

February 20, 2003

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Even with the country on its highest level of terrorism alert since shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, a University of Florida expert says the United States can’t protect its farms, crops and cattle from biological weapons.

“Nationally, less than 2 percent of all incoming goods are inspected, and new invasive pests are accidentally introduced every year,” said Marjorie Hoy, an entomologist with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences who participated in a federal study of agricultural bioterrorism. “Compared to nuclear weapons, biological weapons are relatively cheap and easy, and it’s likely someone who really wanted to use them could do it and we couldn’t prevent it.

“If this was a perfect world and we immediately detected, responded to and eradicated an attack, there would still be severe psychological and economic impacts – a ripple effect like we saw after Sept. 11 ,” she said. “It could cause people to be very concerned about their food supply, and it could cause a great deal of economic damage by affecting international trade as well as trade between the states.

With even a small attack likely to cause significant disruption, Hoy is calling for better communication among the many agencies that would be involved in dealing with an attack that threatens the nation’s food supply, and for farmers, home gardeners and other U.S. citizens to be alert and report unusual pests or diseases to proper authorities.

“Currently there are problems with communication between multiple local, state and federal agencies. We need secure communications between agencies and the ability to transmit a message coherently, clearly and effectively” in the event of biological attack against agriculture, she said.

Eradication of a biological attack agent might involve culling a herd of animals, or cutting and burning crops, she said. “There would be a call for quarantines to prevent the pests from moving into new areas. If people don’t help by complying, the pest can become permanently established, causing the loss of jobs and long-term economic damage to our society,” said Hoy, who was part of a National Academies’ National Research Council bioterrorism committee funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The committee’s report, “Countering Agricultural Bioterrorism,” became available in September.