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"In
some cases, these groups are responsible for letting cattle and horses out
of pastures, cutting fences or burning barns," Mobley said.
"With a small herd, it’s tough to keep track of everything."
By
that, he said it would be too costly to install surveillance equipment at
most Alabama farming operations. Instead, Mobley said "people helping
people" is a good way to uncover questionable activities around their
farms.
"The
hot spots right now are in California, but, slowly and surely, it will
creep up on us," said Mobley, who is ALFA’s beef, dairy, hay and
forage commodities director. "Insertion of foreign animal diseases is
a big concern."
Frazier
and Mobley recently visited Stan Hollon, who has a small cattle operation
in the Pine Level community near Prattville, and discussed farm security
with him.
"It’s
a big concern for all farmers and cattlemen," said Hollon, who works
at International Paper Co.’s Prattville plant when he’s not looking
after his cattle. "Terrorism could ruin not just farmers, but the
American economy."
Auburn
University College of Veterinary Medicine professor Ken Nusbaum couldn’t
agree more with Hollon. He’s also worried that many involved in Alabama
agriculture may not be properly prepared for agriterrorism.
"I’m
afraid that, right now, we’re not in good shape in that area,"
Nusbaum said. "The poultry industry has a good set of biosecurity
principles, but how widely are they being applied? That’s a big
question."
Nusbaum
said that his "professional goal" at the moment is to encourage
veterinarians to thoroughly understand the importance of biosecurity. He
said he has presented a paper on the subject at a conference.
"We
need to take more preventive steps," he said. "We are training a
cadre to recognize foreign animal diseases, but the numbers being trained
are tiny. Our level of surveillance is just not adequate."
Nusbaum
pointed to Alabama’s international port at Mobile along with the state’s
proximity to Hartsfield International Airport in Atlanta—one of the
busiest in the world.
He
also noted that Alabama has five interstate systems "crossing each
other" and "we have commerce connections with states and import
grains to feed the cattle, goats and other animals we have here."
Nusbaum
said dangers to America’s farming community wouldn’t necessarily have
to come from terrorists. He said natural disasters in the form of animal
diseases could arrive when least expected.
As
in anything related to security, it takes money to provide a good defense
and Nusbaum is concerned that it could pose another problem in Alabama and
around the country.
"We
all know that farmers are strapped for cash and that we are in a country
that values inexpensive food," Nusbaum said. "So, profitability
is not always there to provide for biosecurity efforts."
He
said double fences, locked gates, truck washing stations and inspection of
dead animals are just a few steps that can be taken to protect farming
operations. But, Nusbaum adds, they can be expensive, especially double
fencing a huge pasture.
Agricultural
terrorism is not new, said Barry Zellen, editorial director of
TechnologyInnovator.com. He said it’s been around for a long time. Case
in point was Sherman’s march to the sea in the Civil War and the Soviet
decision to burn all agriculture products to keep them from falling into
German hands during World War II.
"With
over half a million farms and 57,000 food processing facilities spread
across the vast continental U.S., the challenge is huge," Zellen
wrote. "New policies and inter-agency cooperation is one key,
spreading the burden across various governmental departments is
another."
The
problem is so big, in fact, that Nusbaum said, "I try not to think
about it," especially the possible challenges of dealing with deadly
viruses that could wind up in America’s food supplies.
He
said some could occur without insertion by foreign or domestic terrorists,
including Avian influenza.
"If
something like that gets into this country, it could cause disease not
only to poultry, but also humans and other animals such as dogs and
cats," he said. "Avian flu is something that is capable of
spreading far."
The
Associated Press reported after a hearing in the U.S. Senate two years ago
that "a simple handkerchief wielded by a resourceful terrorist could
cause billions of dollars of damage to America’s food system and untold
terror in the nation’s kitchens."
U.S.
Sen. Richard Durbin of Illinois said if livestock were exposed before they
were being shipped back to a farm from a state fair, "you would have
dispersed the disease across the state, frankly, in a saddeningly
efficient way," the AP reported.
In
the same article, the wire service quoted Peter Chalk of the Rand Corp. as
saying a bioterrorist attack on the country’s food supply network could
have a "devastating effect on the American economy."
"It
could have severe repercussions in terms of galvanizing a mass public
scare throughout the country, particularly if human deaths occurred,"
Chalk said. "Terrorists could use this to their advantage, allowing
them to create a general atmosphere of fear and anxiety without actually
having to carry out indiscriminate civilian-oriented attacks."
The
Alabama Homeland Security office has released a list of suggestions on how
best to mitigate possible terrorism as it might apply to the state’s
farming industry.
The
department focused a spot-light on Alabama’s poultry industry which has
a production capacity of nearly $2 billion annually.
"Terrorists
who aim to cause economic damage, disrupt the food supply and trigger
public panic may consider implementing a coordinated attack on the
poultry industry," the department statement said.
Farmers
with questions about securing their agricultural operations from possible
terrorism can contact Frazier’s office at (334) 240-7255. He can also be
reached by e-mail at: stvet@agi.state.al.us.
Alvin
Benn is a freelance writer from Selma. |
