Agriculture & Food Defense Archives

Early Detection of Zoonotic Emerging Infectious Diseases

Thomas Cotter and Earl Stoddard June 19, 2013

In 2009, the H1N1 pandemic strain of influenza served as a dramatic wake-up call for biosurveillance experts around the world. Despite major advances in domestic and global surveillance capabilities, H1N1 was spreading rapidly across the United States long before a vaccine could be developed, tested, and mass-produced in time to

Counter-Agroterrorism 101

Patrick P. Rose June 19, 2013

Some biological agents – anthrax and ricin, for example – can be used as weapons against human targets; others specifically attack animals and food crops. Both types of attack, though, can have devastating effects on the economy and on the morale and overall wellbeing of a nation. To mitigate these

Food Safety: An Emergency Manager’s Perspective

Kay C. Goss June 12, 2013

Emergency management is an evolving discipline that requires a progressive emergency manager to fulfill new and expanding requirements for success. Successful leaders in this field follow a systematic problem-solving process and excel at coordinating multiple agencies and information sources rather than simply being experts in one subject. The seven and a half traits

Protecting the Milk Supply During a Foreign Animal Disease Outbreak

Danelle Bickett-Weddle and Pamela Hullinger June 12, 2013

With thousands of farms and millions of cattle scattered across the United States, regulators, dairy producers, and veterinarians strive to protect the nation’s food supply, including the milk supply chain from cow to breakfast table. Emergency preparedness planners, therefore, must work with agricultural suppliers to protect milk and other food

Defending the Food Supply: The Basic Recipe

Michéle Samarya-Timm June 12, 2013

Protecting the food supply chain and defending against intentional contamination requires preventive/defensive efforts at all levels of government, particularly within local communities. All stakeholders therefore must be able to identify vulnerabilities, integrate federal requirements, and determine the resources and training needed to effectively protect the nation’s food supply.

Protecting Water, Diluting Threats, Saving Lives

Joseph Cahill June 5, 2013

Water, water everywhere, and all of it fit to drink. Reservoirs supply drinking water to communities throughout the United States. Protecting such a large area, including the surrounding land, poses many challenges and raises red flags when unauthorized visitors come too close.

Shipping Containers & Hidden Dangers

Richard Schoeberl April 10, 2013

The detonation of a weapon of mass destruction within a U.S. seaport is one of the most frightening scenarios facing the nation’s security and intelligence professionals. Although complying with a 100-percent screening mandate would be very costly, “randomly” selecting a few containers to search may be a huge gamble. The

Liability Protection: An Often Overlooked Aspect of Business Continuity

David McWhorter February 20, 2013

Makers and users of anti-terrorism products and services have more to fear than terrorism itself. After certain technologies have changed hands, the sellers and consumers alike may face future liabilities that would halt further production and/or the continuation of services. To guard against that problem, the U.S. Department of Homeland

Understanding Public Health Emergency Declarations

Raphael Barishansky January 23, 2013

Although avian influenza outbreaks occur periodically in poultry flocks, only recently has avian influenza been considered a significant threat to human health and the global economy. The 1997 emergence of H5N1 first brought attention to avian influenza’s ability to cause disease in humans. However, human infection with influenza from avian

From Risk to Resilience: A Social Enterprise Model

Timothy Tinker December 19, 2012

Federal agencies are using lessons learned from past disasters to develop the holistic and dynamic communications needed to improve behavioral changes and develop meaningful public dialogue and engagement. Social motivation, social marketing, social media, social measures, and social models are essential building blocks in the construction of a stronger, more

Biodefense – Protecting Public Health

Raphael Barishansky November 14, 2012

As the threat of a biological attack against the United States increases, the nation’s public health sector faces many hurdles, including funding cuts and difficulties in integrating the plans and policies of various levels of government – and with the private sector. Since the 9/11 attacks, greater focus has been

Early Warning: The Front Line of Biodefense

Patrick P. Rose November 14, 2012

During and after a known or suspected biological attack, most events initially play out in local hospitals where the first symptoms caused by a toxic agent are recognized. Raising awareness among medical staff and expanding current training programs will help healthcare providers respond to a possible biological event both more

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