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Grain operation BioTerror Act record keeping requirement nears
The different elements of a comprehensive monitoring and regulating the different aspects of the food supply come into effect, step by step
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DHS the only federal agency to see budget increase in FY2007
Congress and the administration are going to cut the federal budget in order to fight the budget deficit — with one exception: DHS budget
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Companies offering free consultation on FDA regulation 306 compliance
Sarbanes-Oxley created a veritable compliance industry, and the 2002 Bioterrorism Act, requiring the registration of 27 different kinds of farm and home animals, is creating another compliance industry
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Bioterrorism Act mandates registration of fish and shell fish
The 2002 act also requires registration of fish and shell fish caught in the wild; now, there’s a challenge (how do you register shrimp?)
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Ohio to develop plans to protect grocery stores from bioterrorism
Ohio is developing a comprehensive plan to monitor against terrorist poisoning of grocery supplies
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Japan re-imposes ban on U.S. beef
Japan, again, bans importation of U.S. beef owing to mad cow fears
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USDA conducts food safety drills around country
USDA emphasizes federal-state collaboration in securing nation’s food supply, and holds drills to test new policy
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U.S. official: Biological attack on U.S.
State Department terrorism specialist ranks biological attack as posing the greatest danger to the U.S. population, and that it will happen
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Questions raised about national animal identification program
One of the more ambitious homeland security programs calls for tagging 27 different species of animals on U.S. farms and ranches by 2009, but critics say that it will drive small farmers out of business
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$1.9 billion pledged to combat avian flu
The World Bank wanted $1.2 billion to fight avian flu, but 33 nations have pledged $1.9 billion, allowing poorer nations to rely more on grants than loans in combating the pandemic
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Isonics to develop decontamination method for hospitals and bioterror attacks
Isonics, and energetic and innovative company, joins with others to develop a an effective decontamination solution for bioterror attacks; the good thing is that the solution will also help hospitals keep themselves free of infectious contamination, and give former Soviet weapon scientist a productive line of work
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EOIR develops remote stand-off chemical sensor
One thing you do not want is to stumble upon toxic chemical spill, or walk unaware into chemical-saturated battlefield or terrorist incident site; the new remote sensing device will be of help here
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Time short for grain handlers to implement 2002 Bioterrorism Act record-keeping requirement
Grain handlers have six months left to initiate monitoring and reporting procedures to comply with demanding bioterror act
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U.S. launches National Animal Identification System; target date is 2009
Ambitious public safety measure gives livestock farmers three years to have each of their animals tagged for disease-related identification
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The long view
Critical Action Needed to Address Growing Biosecurity Risks
A new report warns that biosecurity risks are increasing. Emerging technologies and other trends are making biological threats more numerous, frequent, and consequential. The report outlines how emerging biotechnology must itself be used to secure biology, akin to how software is required to secure software.
Funding Cuts, Policy Shifts, and the Erosion of U.S. Scientific and Public Health Capacity
The U.S. continues to face mounting threats to its health, scientific enterprise, and national security. A recent report warns that proposed FY 2026 budget cuts to the National Science Foundation (NSF) could reduce its funding by more than half – from $9 billion in FY 2025 to under $4 billion. If passed by Congress, these cuts would result in an estimated ~$11 billion in economic losses.
How RFK Jr.’s Misguided Science on mRNA Vaccines Is Shaping Policy − a Vaccine Expert Examines the False Claims
On Kennedy’s instructions, NIH is funneling money away from new mRNA technologies toward a single project developing universal vaccines based on traditional whole-virus vaccine technology. Kennedy justified the decision with a series of false assertions about vaccines and their underlying technology. Abandoning mRNA vaccine research may lead to lives needlessly lost, whether due to potential medicines untapped or to pandemic unpreparedness.