About a third of an ounce of botulism toxin poured by bioterrorists into a milk truck en route from a dairy farm to a processing plant could cause hundreds of thousands of deaths and billions of dollars in economic losses, according to a scientific analysis that was published yesterday despite efforts by federal officials to keep the details secret.
The author looks at possible defensive measures, including expanded bio-surveillance, against the growing threat of agro-terrorism.
The author argues that the U.S. is unprepared for the threat of "an adversary?s purposeful introduction of invasive species or disease pathogens into the United States". He offers recommendations to improve the U.S. response to invasive species to counter their threat as a weapon.
A new paper outlines a detection system for the rapid identification and diagnosis of agricultural pathogens as a way of deterring agroterrorism.
The author argues that agroterrorism "remains little more than a set of hypothetical worst-case scenarios" and unduly diverts attention from the greater risks of food-borne illness.
While public fears about terrorism have focused on things such as dirty bombs and biological attacks in urban areas, a panel of experts warned that low-tech attacks on the nation's food and agriculture industry would be easier to execute and could be just as deadly.
U.S. agencies are scrambling to defend the food and agriculture industries from terrorist attack.
The U.S. General Accounting Offices reports that the U.S. food supply is vulnerable to terrorist attacks partly because the government cannot ensure the security of processing plants.
The author examines the risks and impacts of agroterrorism, biological attacks directed at the agricultural infrastructure, and reviews what is being done to contain the threat.
New research shows how easily livestock and crops could be hit by 'agroterrorists.'