Agroterrorism, also known as agriterrorism and agricultural terrorism, is a malicious attempt to disrupt or destroy the

agricultural industry Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food ...

and/or

food supply Food security is the state of having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, healthy food. The availability of food for people of any class, gender, ethnicity, or religion is another element of food protection. Similarly, househo ...

system of a population through "the malicious use of plant or animal

pathogen In biology, a pathogen (, "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 theory of d ...

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 Pathogen, infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, insects, and Fungus, fungi with the intent to kill, harm or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an ...

, chemical warfare 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 ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' on September 22, 1999, by reporter

Judith Miller Judith Miller (born January 2, 1948) is an American journalist and commentator who is known for writing about Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction (WMD) program both before and after the 2003 invasion, but her writings were later discov ...

. Dr. Brown's article in the book "''Emerging Diseases of Animals''" served to further popularize the term. The

Oxford Dictionary Oxford dictionary may refer to any dictionary published by Oxford University Press, particularly: Historical dictionaries * ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') * ''Shorter Oxford English Dictionary'', an abridgement of the ''OED'' Single-volu ...

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 university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university near Clemson, South Carolina, United States. - The blue-shaded pattern denotes university property. This shows Clemson University is ''out ...

'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 include bacteria, viruses, insects, fungi, and/or their toxins, and may be in a naturally occurring or a human-modified form, in mu ...

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 is an introduced species that harms its new environment. Invasive species adversely affect habitats and bioregions, causing ecological, environmental, and/or economic damage. The term can also be used for native spec ...

are already a problem worldwide one

University of Nebraska A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

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 (also known as a media release) is an official statement delivered to members of the news media for the purpose of providing new information, creating an official statement, or making an announcement directed for public releas ...

), Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resource, ''

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

biological agent Biological agents, also known as biological weapons or bioweapons, are pathogens used as weapons. In addition to these living or replicating pathogens, toxins and Toxin#Biotoxins, biotoxins are also included among the bio-agents. More than 1,2 ...

s for acts of

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,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'', 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