Terrorist threats to agricultu...( COLLEGE STATION -- Researchers at the...)

COLLEGE STATION, -- Researchers at the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station say prevention, detection and clean up methods for bioterrorism at the farm level must be found now to avoid human harm and economic devastation of the food and fiber supply.

Bioterrorism, the deliberate release of toxins or infectious organisms, has been studied by national experts for years. The threat to the U.S. food supply and its underlying agricultural industry has more recently been recognized, heightened by the attacks on Sept. 11.

"The efforts in bioterrorism research are meant both to prevent attack and to offer rapid response to minimize consequences in case of terrorist action," said Dr. Neville Clarke, director of Texas A&M University's Center for Natural Resource Information Technology.

A proposal to establish a National Center for Countermeasures Against Agricultural Bioterrorism is being prepared at Texas A&M for consideration by the administration and Board of Regents. The proposal includes surveillance networking systems, satellite imaging technology, field and laboratory diagnostic capabilities using biotechnology, and an information system that could predict and track the spread following an attack.

Having such a facility at Texas A&M makes sense because of its strong history in agriculture and engineering research, its information delivery capabilities with Texas Cooperative Extension agents located in every county, and the state's long Mexican border which provides enormous potential for terrorist crossings, according to Clarke.

He said the nation must not only consider immediate actions that need to be taken, but should simultaneously adapt existing technology for the short run and develop new knowledge and technology for future protection.

"It is critically important that all three approaches be planned and implemented concurrently," Clarke said. Dr. John Mullet, Institute for Plant Genomics and Biotechnology
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Contact: Kathleen Phillips
ka-phillips@tamu.edu
979-845-2872
Texas A&M University
11-Oct-2001