California county prepares for agroterrorism

Law enforcement and agriculture officials in San Benito County, California, got a crash course last week from DHS in preventing and preparing for a possible terrorist attack on the food supply, which would have a devastating impact on public health and the local economy. The day-long seminar brought together officials from both law enforcement and the agriculture community in an effort to raise awareness about the vulnerability of the local food supply chain, and also what agencies and organizations would be charged with responding to an ag-related terrorist attack. Ron Ross, a senior biologist with the San Benito County Agriculture Commissioner’s office, said the main goal of the seminar was to bring people together. “The idea is that in the case of some type of emergency, we don’t want everyone to be taken by surprise,” he said. “If we can build relationships now, before something happens, we can be better prepared.”

Although experts believe such attacks, also known as agroterrorism, are unlikely because they lack the sensational impact of a bomb or chemical attack, it is still a plausible threat, Ross said. Agroterrorism attacks could involve terrorists slipping food-borne bacteria such as E. coli or chemical poisons into the food supply at any number of points in the food production chain, from harvesting to packing to shipping.

-read more in this report