But participants at the Agrosecurity Work Conference here May 23
said a deliberate attack on this complex, widespread and diverse
part of the U.S. economy could be catastrophic.

Emergency, security, environmental and farm experts met at the
University of Georgia to discuss what can be done to prevent a
terrorist attack and what will have to be done if one happens.
The conference was hosted by the UGA College of Agricultural and
Environmental Sciences.

Jeff Fisher, chairman of the CAES agrosecurity task force, said
an important goal was to set up avenues of communications
between
agencies and organizations directly and indirectly related to
agriculture security in Georgia and around the country.

“People are talking now that were not talking before,” said
Fisher, head of the CAES department of environmental health
science.

The conference could set the guidelines for other such
discussions across the country to address this critical issue,
Fisher said.

It’s Happened Before

During the past century there were several attacks against the
food and fiber supplies of a country, said Lee Myers, state
veterinarian and assistant commissioner of agriculture in
Georgia.

Though not believed to be related to terrorism, the 2001
foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in the United Kingdom caused the
slaughter of 8 million animals and more than $25 billion in
economic damage, she said.

A similar outbreak in the United States, intentional or not,
would cause about $60 billion in economic damage. “There is a
significant economic value with U.S. agriculture,” she said.

In 1997, agriculture provided 13 percent of the U.S. gross
domestic product and about 17 percent of U.S. employment.

Most U.S. cities have only a five-day supply of food on grocery
store shelves, Myers said.

Agriculture is Georgia’s No. 1 industry, worth about $5.7
billion
annually.

“An agroterror attack could quickly devastate trade, induce
social instability and erode public confidence,” she said.

Michael McLendon, deputy director of the Center for Crisis
Management at UGA, said the probability of a terrorist attack on
U.S. agriculture is low. “But it will be high consequences if it
does (happen),” he said. “And it’s never a good time for it to
happen.”

Disaster Prepared

Weather is agriculture’s most significant disaster threat, he
said. Since 1991, Georgia has faced 16 presidential disaster
declarations and 66 state disaster declarations.

Every county in the state has been under at least one emergency
declaration. This experience with natural disaster gives Georgia
an advantage to guard against and react to a terrorist attack.

He says a “First Responder” force for Georgia agriculture is
already in place. The force consists of the 50,000 farms, the
730,000 people the industry employees, the Cooperative Extension
Service, state veterinarians and other state and federal
organizations.

Mike Sherberger, assistant director of the Georgia Emergency
Management Agency, agreed. He said as much as 80 percent of
agrosecurity intelligence will come from “regular, everyday
folks.”

Georgia will be getting $100 million to fight terrorism as part
of the Presidential 2003 budget, he said. Most of this money is
earmarked for local governments.

CAES Dean and Director Gale Buchanan charged the formation of
the
UGA agrosecurity task force in December 2001.