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The 2005 Department of Justice’s National Institute of Justice report Defining Law Enforcement’s Role in Protecting American Agriculture from Agroterrorism was used as a framework for analyzing the State of Florida’s capabilities for preparing and responding to an agroterrorism attack. A series of desired capabilities were developed from the report’s conclusions and recommendations, and research was conducted to establish Florida law enforcement’s current capabilities. From these two points of reference, gap analysis identified the deficiencies in Florida’s capabilities. Research and analysis found Florida’s preparation capability gaps revolve around a general lack of intelligence and information sharing focused on the agriculture sector. The key recommendation is creation of a state agriculture intelligence and analysis unit interacting with the fusion centers, critical infrastructure protection program, and the food and agriculture sector. Florida’s response capabilities were found to be quite robust. Gaps found in the area of response could be closed with relatively minor policy and strategy enhancements., http://archive.org/details/floridlawenforce1094544528, Captain, Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement, Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

CHDS State/Local, There are many potential targets for terrorists in the United States, one of which is the food supply system. An attack on the food supply system would create great need for information to many audiences, primarily the general public, about the risk resulting from such an attack. The Multi-State Partnership for Security in Agriculture, a collaborative effort of 10 states, has identified the need for development of a strategy for communicating to the public the risk resulting from an agroterrorism incident. Before the Partnership begins development of a strategy, however, it must take into consideration the factors that are important when communicating about agroterrorism risk: recognition that communication of risk about food carries with it specific challenges; the public's level of trust in government will affect how it perceives and accepts risk messages; and Americans' post-September 11, 2001 fear associated with terrorism alters perception and acceptance of risk. Recognition of the existence of these factors is not enough, however. The Partnership must recognize, as well, that these factors may present barriers to effective communication. To overcome these barriers, the Partnership should apply tried-and-true risk communication principles, tailored to specifically address the factors that make agroterrorism risk communication unique., http://archive.org/details/agroterrorismris109452222, Civilian, Public Affairs Manager, Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division, Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

CHDS State/Local, Threatened with the loss of federal funding for Homeland Security and emergency management preparedness programs, state and local entities must implement the National Response Plan and the National Incident Management System, which includes the Incident Command System, Unified Command, and the Multiagency Coordination System. Although mandated by Congress and implemented by Homeland Security Presidential Directive 5, underdeveloped areas of Indian country and small towns, especially farming and ranching communities and agriculturally-based counties are likely to find that they do not have the capacity to fully implement these mandated federal response programs. A theoretical terrorist-induced multistate Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak is used to examine the impact of implementing newly established federally mandated response management programs on rural and tribal communities in agrarian states. Recovering from such an agroterrorism bioattack would require a coordinated multi-disciplinary response that is heavily dependent on local, tribal, state, and private sector personnel. However, because the United States has not experienced an outbreak of FMD since 1929, many of the skills required to quickly diagnose and respond may no longer exist. This thesis identifies potential methods for obtaining and deploying the FMD virus in a coordinated bioattack on the U.S. economy., http://archive.org/details/statendlocalpoli109452305, Director, Idaho Bureau of Disaster Services, Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

The United States agricultural industry generates more than $1 trillion in annual economic activity and provides an abundant food supply for the United States and other countries. Since the 9/11 attacks, the United States government has recognized the vulnerability of the agriculture industry and the potential for the deliberate introduction of animal and plant diseases or agroterrorism. An agroterrorist attack could have enormous economic consequences, disrupt the entire system of critical infrastructure and affect all Americans. The federal and state governments must establish a comprehensive foreign animal disease strategy that is equal to the risk posed by agroterrorism and/or natural outbreaks. Critical elements of this strategy must reconcile conflicting worldviews and existing tensions between the federal and state government to synchronize all remediation efforts while increasing the nation's preparedness. Finally, the national strategy must address the population of first responders by recognizing the unique authorities, restrictions, and capabilities they possess. The Department of Defense (DoD) has the opportunity to mitigate the risk of agroterrorism to the nation because it possesses the inherent dimension, organization and equipment to rapidly deploy, and conduct operations in austere and geographically distributed areas of operation.

In the post 9/11 world, the U.S. must focus its security efforts on everything from airports to al-Qaeda. With resources stretched thin and priorities focused on prosecuting the Global War on Terror (GWOT), our current government structures and capabilities are not suited to manage an attack using biological warfare (BW) on humans or agriculture. The fact that the U.S. has made no arrests in connection with the September 18, 2001 anthrax attacks in Florida, New York and Washington are a stark reminder of how ill-prepared our local, state and federal agencies are in defending against BW attacks. Of the potential BW targets in the U.S. the least protected are the agricultural industry’s animals. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the agricultural industry is the most likely target of a BW attack, and the pathogen which produces foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is the most likely pathogen to create significant economic and social devastation in the U.S. The American agricultural industry produces the world’s safest and cheapest food, but those systems which make the industry so reliable also make it vulnerable. Individuals who desire to disrupt the U.S. economy could introduce a small quantity of plant or animal pathogens into the many unprotected nodes of the agricultural system creating the most devastating attack the U.S. has ever seen. Providing 13% of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP), employing 15% of the U.S. population and producing more than $50 billion yearly in exports, agriculture is one of the primary industries in the U.S. and one of the few industries with a positive trade balance. Although a single attack on the agricultural industry may not result in its destruction, an attack would result in the interruption of food supplies, disruption of interstate travel and trade embargos placed on the U.S. The psychological impacts of a major agroterrorist attack would be similar to the impact 9/11 had on the airline industry. In the event of a maj