Protecting Rural America And Our Food Supply

Protecting Rural America And Our Food Supply
2/11/05

The Average U.S. Farmer feeds 144 people around the world, every day. Making sure this productivity continues is important to the survival of this country and the world. We must protect our food supply from the field to the fork, by making sure food production, manufacturing and transportation systems cannot be attacked by terrorists.

We know that terrorists like the Al Qaeda group intend to harm America's farmers. After the September 11 attacks, handbooks discussing crop and livestock production were found in terrorist hideouts.

America is at risk for agro-terrorism but we are not prepared. If cattle were infected with foot and mouth disease, we would not e able to vaccinate them fast enough because the supply we have here can only be activated in Great Britain. A single truckload of contaminated hogs could spread disease to 25 states within five days before it is detected. If a terrorist deliberately attacked U.S. farms, the effects would be felt immediately because no major U.S.
city has more than a seven-day supply of food.

Over two years ago, the Department of Homeland Security was tasked with developing a plan to keep our food supply safe from field to fork, but that has not been done to date. I believe it is time to hold the Department of Homeland Security accountable. We need to put a plan in action to protect America's farms and our families. We need to get homeland security right.

http://benniethompson.house.gov/NR/rdonlyres/27DE6928-8E28-4883-9040-C5B263E3C2A5/0/February2005.pdf