Source(s):
Marjorie Hoy mahoy@mail.ifas.ufl.edu, (353) 392-1901 ext. 153
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The United States can’t stop terrorists from using biological weapons to target its farms, crops or cattle, according to a University of Florida expert.
Marjorie Hoy, a UF professor who participated in a study on bioterrorism funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said the study concluded U.S. borders are too leaky to prevent a biological attack against agricultural targets.
“Nationally, less than two percent of all incoming goods are inspected, and new invasive pests are accidentally introduced every year,” she said. “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.”
Hoy, an entomologist with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, said even a small attack could cause significant disruption.
“If this were 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 September 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 states.”
Even if there is no evidence hostile foreign agents have previously deployed pests or diseases against U.S. agricultural targets, the threat of such an attack is very real, Hoy said.
“The former Soviet Union had a whole array of animal and plant diseases that were manufactured, stockpiled and genetically engineered to be more virulent, and Iraq is thought to have a number of threat agents that could be directed against agriculture,” she said. “And bioterrorism is not limited to foreign nationals – people in this country could do it too.”
Because preventing an attack would be difficult, it is very important government agencies quickly detect and respond to bioterrorism, Hoy said.
“Time is of the essence in discovering the pest,” she said. “Having a plan in place and the resources to carry out an eradication program is crucial.”
The study, which was written by a committee of experts assembled by the National Academies’ National Research Council in the spring of 2001, also recommended establishing an effective communications system.
“Currently there are problems with communication between multiple local, state and federal agencies,” she said. “We need secure communications between agencies and the ability to transmit a message coherently, clearly and effectively.”
A clear, authoritative message is key to reducing fear and panic in the event of a bioterrorist attack, Hoy said.
“Our committee concluded it was very important a single agency be given responsibility for transmitting complete, believable information to the public in a variety of media,” she said. “We don’t need 42 different people saying 42 different things or people that don’t really know what they’re talking about answering questions.”
Manuscripts of the committee’s report, Countering Agricultural Bioterrorism, became available from the National Academies Press Sept. 2002. The USDA has withheld full publication of the report while it reviews security issues, Hoy said.
One of Hoy’s personal conclusions is that farmers, home gardeners and other U.S. citizens need to be alert to a bioterrorist attack. They need to report unusual pests or diseases to proper authorities, she said.
“The appropriate agency will vary from location to location,” Hoy said. “In the case of animal diseases, it could be a veterinarian. In the case of insects or plant diseases, local agricultural extension agents, a local college or the state agriculture department should be contacted.”
The public should also know there are two options for responding to an attack: eradicate the pest if possible, or, as in the case of the West Nile virus, learn to live with it, she said.
“Eradication might involve culling a herd of animals, or cutting and burning crops. There would be a call for quarantines to prevent the pests from moving into new areas,” Hoy said. “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. And then it costs everybody.”
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