How Real Is The Threat Of In Our Country - 2376 Words

Brittany Hixson Research Methods Agroterrorism Research Paper Professor Keith April 26, 2015 How real is the threat of Agroterrorism in our country? September 11th, 2001, changed the way our entire country carries out their day to day functions. Everyone who is old enough to remember that specific day remembers what they were doing when they were told the Twin Towers fell. Americans remember their emotions as they held on to their families and friends and prayed for the brave men and women, firefighters, police officers, EMTs and volunteers who risked their lives to help the trapped business personnel inside the collapsing towers. September 11th opened our hearts as a nation and opened our awareness to the conclusion that†¦show more content†¦PPD-21 recognizes sixteen critical infrastructures; including the Food and Agriculture Sector, the Chemical Sector, Healthcare and Public Health Sector, Transportation Systems Sector, and Water and Wastewater Systems Sector. As these sectors have been looked at more and more by agronomists, scientists, and other government officials they are all still wondering why or how no one ha s tried to attack us through our crops or our livestock. Agroterrorism is defined by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as â€Å"the deliberate introduction of an animal or plant disease for the purpose of generating fear, causing economic losses, or undermining social stability.† (Threats 2013) Of course even though it was not profoundly considered looked upon until after September 11th, that does not mean Agroterrorism is a new notion. One of the earliest acknowledged terrorist attacks related to agriculture was during the 6th century B.C. The Assyrians poisoned their enemy’s wells with rye ergot. German agents infected cattle during World War I that spread from the Atlantic to France. In 1994, more than seven hundred and fifty people fell ill when a cult intentionally contaminated ten salad bars with salmonella. (Threats 2013). The first step into understanding Agroterrorism is to realize who would want to harm our livestock and crops. Next is knowing what they would gain from damaging our agriculture system. Our largest