Agroterrorism, also known as agriterrorism and agricultural terrorism, is a malicious attempt to disrupt or destroy the agricultural industry and/or food supply system of a population through "the malicious use of plant or animal to cause devastating disease in the agricultural sectors".[ "Agriterrorism". Homeland Defense Stocks.] It is closely related to the concepts of biological warfare, chemical warfare and entomological warfare, except carried out by non-state parties.
A hostile attack, towards an agricultural environment, including infrastructures and processes, in order to significantly damage national or international political interests.
Nomenclature
The terms
agroterrorism, along with
agroterror and
agrosecurity, were coined by veterinarian pathologist Corrie Brown and writer Esmond Choueke in September 1999 as a means to spread the importance of this topic. The first public use of
agroterrorism was in a report by Dr. Brown which was then reprinted in a front-page article of
The New York Times on September 22, 1999, by reporter
Judith Miller. Dr. Brown's article in the book "
Emerging Diseases of Animals" served to further popularize the term.
The Oxford Dictionary now recognizes the word
agroterrorism and its derivatives.
An initial debate by Dr. Brown and Mr. Choueke involved the spellings
agriterror vs.
agroterror. The spelling with the "
o" won, as it was closest to bioterrorism and thus would be easier to remember.
Theory
Clemson University's Regulatory and Public Service Program listed "diseases vectored by insects" among
bioterrorism scenarios considered "most likely".
[" Regulatory and Public Service Programs' Strategy for the Prevention Of Bioterrorism in Areas Regulated ", Regulatory and Public Service Program, Clemson University, 2001, accessed December 25, 2008.] Because
invasive species are already a problem worldwide one University of Nebraska–Lincoln entomologist considered it likely that the source of any sudden appearance of a new agricultural pest would be difficult, if not impossible, to determine.
[Corley, Heather. " Agricultural Bioterror Threat Requires Vigilance ", (Press release), Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resource, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, November 12, 2001, accessed December 25, 2008.] Lockwood considers insects a more effective means of transmitting
for acts of
bioterrorism than the actual agents.
[ In his opinion insect vectors are easily gathered and their eggs easily transportable without detection.][ Isolating and delivering biological agents, on the other hand, is extremely challenging and hazardous.][Lockwood, Jeffrey A. " Insects: Tougher than anthrax", The Boston Globe, October 21, 2007, accessed December 25, 2008.]
See also
External links
