Biological Terrorism Targeted at Agriculture: The Threat to US National Security Viewpoint

The Midwest is reeling from an infestation of corn blight. Over 200 farms in Iowa alone have reported infections. Plant pathologists note that the pattern of infestation is inconsistent with a natural outbreak since the infections occurred in many places at once and were found in farms along major interstate highways. Scientists found that the infecting strain is identical to one found in Asia. Recently, this news station has received a letter from a group calling itself the Guardians of Gaia. They have claimed responsibility for the outbreaks and stated that they will continue to attack America’s corn crops until farmers disavow the use of genetically modified ‘franken-seed.’ Already, several countries and food companies have turned to corn producers from other nations to avoid consumer backlash against the tainted produce. A USDA spokeswoman has claimed that corn blight is completely harmless to humans and consumers have nothing to worry about from eating infected corn. Furthermore, she stated that the actual damage to the crop has been minimal. However, the $20 billion a year corn-growing industry is already unable to sell its stores of corn.... This fictional scenario illustrates a current national security problem: several non-state actors have the ability to infect large swaths of US agriculture with pathogens that can cause severe economic disruption. Despite the severity of the threat, the US Congress has failed to provide adequate funding for countermeasures, and US agencies and agricultural industries have not taken the necessary steps to prevent agroterrorist attacks.