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eradicate them where necessary/possible. Part of this effort requires coordination
and cooperation between federal agencies to not only safeguard domestic prod-
ucts and resources, but also those that may be imported in from foreign countries.
Through inspection of cargo and the requirement of importers to report specific
types of cargo that could fall into an agroterrorism issue, agencies have the power to
fight the entry of foreign diseases or agents. However, should a foreign animal dis-
ease be discovered, whether accidentally or intentionally introduced, the Secretary
of Agriculture has broad authority to eradicate or prevent it from entering this
country. The use of these authorities is fairly common. Federal quarantines and
restrictions on interstate movement within the United States are also common for
certain pest and disease outbreaks.
The federal government has, through the involvement of many agencies and
offices, taken steps to prevent agroterrorism wherever possible, and to respond to
an incident should an outbreak occur.
References
1. Henry S. Parker, Agricultural Bioterrorism: A Federal Strategy to Meet the Threat,
McNair Paper 65, National Defense University, March 2002.
2. Monterey Institute of International Studies.
3. Peter Chalk, “Hitting America's Soft Underbelly: The Potential Threat of Deliberate
Biological Attacks Against U.S. Agriculture and Food Industry,” Rand National
Defense Research Institute, January 2004.
4. Charles Hanrahan and Geoffrey Beckier,
Mad Cow Disease and U.S. Beef Trade
, CRS
Report RS21709, August 4, 2004.
