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does oppression. In both instances, there is a twilight when everything remains

seemingly unchanged. And, it is in such twilight that we all must be aware of

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Fear grows of attack on food supply

Officials seek ways to safeguard agriculture

By

Tribune staff reporter

September 30, 2006

PLEASANT HILL, Mo.

-- West Missouri farm country has no shortage

of livestock and rolling hills, but terrorism targets seem few and far between.

No tall buildings. No well-known landmarks.

The nearest Manhattan: It's in Kansas.

" Out here things are still pretty quiet, " cattle rancher Rod Findley

proudly declared this week as he finished feeding his Hereford heifers in an early-morning fog.

" I would think a terrorist would be a little out of place around

here. "

While the threat of terrorism clearly hangs over urban areas, a growing concern

about an attack on the U.S.

food supply is bringing more attention from law enforcement to rural America

and farms like Findley's.

This harvest season the U.S. Department of Agriculture has produced a list of

recommended security steps for farmers, from protecting fence perimeters to

safeguarding chirping chicks.

And the recent E. coli outbreak has underscored how quickly contaminated food

can impact people's lives and shake America's faith in agriculture.

While food and agriculture account for 18 percent of U.S.

employment and produce $140 billion in annual U.S. revenue, farm security has

traditionally been quite lax. Typically, little more than making sure the

corral gate is latched.

This year, the Illinois Department of Agriculture has spent $6.5 million to

improve food safety--hardly a blip when compared to the billions of dollars

directed toward airport and highway security, but it's a 25 percent increase

from five years ago. The state also is creating a database of all the

agriculture facilities in Illinois

so authorities can notify farms in specific areas if a problem ever arose.

" The threat from agroterrorism may not be one you recognize, " FBI

Deputy Director Pistole said at a symposium this week in Kansas City, where about 1,000 farmers,

police officers, scientists and economists gathered to discuss better ways to

protect agriculture.

" But the threat is real, " he said. " And the impact could be

devastating. "

Offering a glimpse of impact

The recent E. coli outbreak from spinach, while not intentional, offers a

glimpse of such devastation, Pistole said. Nearly 200 people have become sick

and at least one person has died from the tainted spinach, and the negative

economic impact could linger.

But imagine an outbreak that affects not only spinach but also such products as

beef, chicken or corn. Then imagine terrorists are behind it. Such a massive

attack not only would sicken more people, it could permanently rattle

confidence here and abroad in American agriculture, said Greg Pompelli, a USDA

economist.

Five years after the Sept. 11 attacks, agriculture's enormous importance to the

economy undoubtedly makes it an appealing target to someone wanting to harm the

United States,

but the industry's significance and robustness creates plenty of good news for

Americans, too, Pompelli said. For example, about 25 percent of food that makes

it onto U.S.

plates is not eaten, meaning there is plenty to go around if supply is cut

because of a large mandatory destruction of livestock. And unlike in many other

countries, there is great crop diversity.

" Staple crops--like corn, wheat, soybeans and oats--are grown in more than

two-thirds of counties " of the United States, Pompelli said,

explaining that this lessens the chance that one region's economy could be

decimated.

" Even some fresh produce--apples, tomatoes and peaches--are spread

broadly, with a third of all counties growing these. "

There are numerous points on food's journey from field to fork that are

vulnerable to a would-be terrorist. The pork supply, for example, could be

harmed by driving a truck full of sick pigs past several farms, suggested

Kaplan, director of the USDA's emergency and domestic programs. Or terrorists

might attempt something further down the food chain, such as poisoning apples

at a grocery store.

Pistole pointed to U.S.

agriculture information found in Afghanistan after the Sept. 11 attacks

as proof that there is intent to disrupt the food supply.

" The bottom line is that agriculture, just like buildings, bridges and

tunnels, is a critical infrastructure in need of defense, " he said.

Ensuring food safety

Farmers and veterinarians, who because of their jobs can spot problems before

they reach consumers, guard the front lines when it comes to America's food defense. Both groups

have a part in the Illinois Food Systems Policy Council, which was created last

year and has been tasked with developing a strategy to improve food and

agricultural security.

" We need to do everything within our power to assure the safety and

security of the food we supply for our families and for families across the

world, " Gov. Rod Blagojevich remarked this month at the state's first food

security " tabletop exercise. " There, public officials and private

industry discussed ways to improve safety in agriculture, which contributes

$14.4 billion annually to Illinois'

economy.

Similarly, the Kansas City conference aimed to

bring together representatives from the military, law enforcement, agriculture

and academia, said Berlowitz, a USDA director in the Elk

Grove Village office's smuggling interdiction and trade compliance

division. " There are a lot of different perspectives we can get here, "

Berlowitz said. " You want to meet these people now rather than when there

is problem. "

Back on the farm, Findley relegates the threat of such a problem occurring on

his 68-acre spread somewhere out toward the horizon--it just seems too

unlikely. Here the concerns are gas prices, the cost of feed grain and whether

the high school football team can maintain its undefeated season.

Focus could of course change, he said, mentioning that the once rarely traveled

road in front of his farm now handles regular traffic.

" Everything's changing in Pleasant

Hill. "

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