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

pathogen In biology, a pathogen ( el, πάθος, "suffering", "passion" and , "producer of") in the oldest and broadest sense, is any organism or agent that can produce disease. A pathogen may also be referred to as an infectious agent, or simply a germ ...

s to cause devastating disease in the agricultural sectors"."Agriterrorism"
Homeland Defense Stocks. It is closely related to the concepts of

biological warfare Biological warfare, also known as germ warfare, is the use of biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, insects, and fungi with the intent to kill, harm or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an act of war. Bio ...

chemical warfare Chemical warfare (CW) involves using the toxic properties of chemical substances as weapons. This type of warfare is distinct from nuclear warfare, biological warfare and radiological warfare, which together make up CBRN, the military acronym ...

and

entomological warfare Entomological warfare (EW) is a type of biological warfare that uses insects to interrupt supply lines by damaging crops, or to directly harm enemy combatants and civilian populations. There have been several programs which have attempted to instit ...

, 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 2,000 for ''Emerging Diseases of Animals'' (American Society for Microbiology) made these words a permanent fixture, and they soon ended up as part of everyday use. 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 Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enro ...

's Regulatory and Public Service Program listed "diseases vectored by insects" among

bioterrorism Bioterrorism is terrorism involving the intentional release or dissemination of biological agents. These agents are bacteria, viruses, insects, fungi, and/or toxins, and may be in a naturally occurring or a human-modified form, in much the same ...

scenarios considered "most likely".Regulatory and Public Service Programs' Strategy for the Prevention Of Bioterrorism in Areas Regulated
", Regulatory and Public Service Program, ''

'', 2001, accessed December 25, 2008. Because

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

are already a problem worldwide one

University of Nebraska A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

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 A press release is an official statement delivered to members of the news media for the purpose of providing information, creating an official statement, or making an announcement directed for public release. Press releases are also considere ...

), Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resource, ''

'', November 12, 2001, accessed December 25, 2008. Lockwood considers insects a more effective means of transmitting

biological agent A biological agent (also called bio-agent, biological threat agent, biological warfare agent, biological weapon, or bioweapon) is a bacterium, virus, protozoan, parasite, fungus, or toxin that can be used purposefully as a weapon in bioterroris ...

s 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 ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'', October 21, 2007, accessed December 25, 2008.

References

External links

The Counter Agro Terrorism Research Center
*
The Counter Agro Terrorism Research Center – About Us

US food supply 'vulnerable to attack' (BBC article)
* Govern Kevin
Agroterrorism and ecoterrorism: a survey of Indo-American approaches under law and policy to prevent and defend against these potential threats ahead
Winter, 2009 10 Fl. Coastal L. Rev. 223.
The Silent Terrorist - BBC 2006
{{Terrorism topics Agriculture in society Bioterrorism

Nomenclature

Theory

See also

References

External links