Agroterrorism: Why We're Not Ready. A Look at the Role of Law Enforcement

摘要

Terrorists seeking to strike a blow at the U.S. economy need look no further than the Nations heartland for a soft target. An agroterrorist attack could dramatically impact many aspects of American life, including local law enforcement, which especially in rural areasis financially and strategically unprepared to respond. Agricultural experts say that today they are most concerned about the intentional introduction of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) into the food supply. Twenty times more infectious than smallpox, FMD causes painful blisters on the tongues, hooves, and teats of cloven-hoofed animals (like cows, pigs, goats, and deer), rendering them unable to walk, be milked, eat, and drink. Although people generally cannot contract FMD, they can carry the virus in their lungs up to 48 hours and transmit it to animals. The animal-to-animal airborne-transmission range of FMD is 50 miles.