AGROTERRORISMAgroterrorism: A Low-Frequency, High-Impact Threat
Agroterrorism is a low-frequency but high-impact threat. There have been only a handful of documented incidents worldwide, and none on a large scale in the United States — yet the structure of modern agriculture and food systems makes it a domain that serious adversaries could exploit with relatively modest means and devastating effect.
Agroterrorism is a low-frequency but high-impact threat. There have been only a handful of documented incidents worldwide, and none on a large scale in the United States — yet the structure of modern agriculture and food systems makes it a domain that serious adversaries could exploit with relatively modest means and devastating effect.
Defining Agroterrorism and Its Appeal
Agroterrorism is commonly defined as the intentional use of biological, chemical, or radiological agents against crops, livestock, or food systems, with the primary aim of inflicting economic damage, disrupting societies, and undermining trust in food safety — rather than maximizing immediate human casualties. In contrast to classic bioterrorism directed at human populations, agroterrorism exploits the particular vulnerabilities of agriculture: open environments, dispersed assets, and tightly coupled supply chains through which a relatively modest action can cascade into large-scale losses.
The strategic appeal is straightforward. Food and agriculture account for roughly a trillion dollars of U.S. economic activity and approximately one-eighth of gross national product, with major export exposure. Farms, feedlots, and transport corridors cannot be secured the way airports or city centers can. Many potential agents — fungal plant diseases, livestock pathogens, invasive pests — exist naturally, which means early signs of an attack can easily be mistaken for weather stress or endemic disease. And because food is central to daily life in a way few other targets are, even a limited outbreak or contamination can generate fear, political pressure, and lasting erosion of public confidence well beyond its immediate physical effects.
Historical Incidents, Allegations, and Intent
The historical record since 1945 shows few unambiguous agroterrorism cases, but it reveals both deliberate attacks on agriculture and persistent allegations that agricultural systems have been used as instruments of covert conflict.
A detailed review of biological agroterrorism from 1945 to 2012 identifies four hallmark cases: Mau Mau fighters poisoning cattle in colonial Kenya in 1952 using plant toxins; U.S. claims in 1985 that contract workers intentionally spread screwworm larvae among American livestock; Palestinian reports in 2000 that Israeli settlers deliberately flooded fields with sewage; and a 2011 U.S. case in which an individual was convicted after threatening to introduce foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the United States and United Kingdom.
