US: Agro-terrorism bill becomes law
First introduced in 2016, and then again in January of this year, Congressman Young’s legislation addresses concerns brought to light after Iowa suffered the largest animal disease outbreak in state history, when the 2015 avian influenza outbreak wiped out millions of layer hens, turkeys, and backyard flocks. Response efforts revealed problematic preparedness concerns and breaks in the federal government’s ability to communicate with stakeholders and react quickly to large-scale animal disease outbreaks. This disaster also raised concerns among farmers, producers and ag experts about whether our nation would be able to capably share information and respond to agro-terrorism threats and attacks, ultimately an attack against our nation’s citizens.
“I want to thank the President and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for seeing the seriousness of this issue to make sure we have a safe and abundant food supply for our families. Agro-terrorism is a real threat and this legislation takes the necessary and critical steps to protect America from high-risk events which pose serious threats to our food, across Iowa and United States”, Congressman David Young said.
“The heightened global terror environment reminds us of the risks facing our country. The legislation President Trump signed into law today will better protect us from those who wish to attack our resources, including our food supply. Threats to US agriculture and livestock industries could devastate our food system, impacting millions of Americans, as well as our economy. I’m pleased to have worked together with my Republican and Democratic colleagues to pass legislation that will improve our agro-terrorism preparedness and emergency response measures,” said U.S. House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications Chairman Dan Donovan.