I
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 3198
To respond to the vulnerability of the United States agricultural production
and food supply system to international terrorism.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
OCTOBER 31, 2001
Mr. PUTNAM of Florida introduced the following bill; which was referred to
the Committee on Agriculture
A BILL
To respond to the vulnerability of the United States agricul-
tural production and food supply system to international
terrorism.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Agricultural Terrorism
Prevention and Response Act of 2001’’.
SEC. 2. ENHANCED SECURITY FOR UNITED STATES AGRI-
CULTURAL PRODUCTION AND FOOD SUPPLY
SYSTEM.
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following:
(1) The agricultural production sector of the
United States economy accounts for approximately
13 percent of the United States gross national prod-
uct.
(2) The strength, importance, and value of the
United States agricultural production and food sup-
ply system increases the possibility that the system
could become a target for international terrorism,
particularly a terrorism incident specifically targeted
to key animal or plant commodities used in the pro-
duction of food.
(3) Targeted terrorism activities could include
the deliberate introduction of chemical or biological
agents that would be harmful or infectious to crops
or livestock and could disrupt the processing and
distribution of food products.
(4) A successful terrorist attack against the
United States agricultural sector involving the re-
lease of a contagious agent against crops or livestock
could damage public confidence in the safety of the
United States food supply.
(5) The United States agricultural sector is
particularly susceptible to a foreign crop or livestock
disease, against which domestic animals and plants
do not have a natural resistance. With crops and
animals concentrated in fewer production facilities,
and with the frequent transport among these facili-
ties, a single pathogen introduction could cause
widespread infection.
(6) Terrorism threats to the agricultural pro-
duction and food supply system need to receive the
same level of priority as other terrorism threats, and
should be treated in a highly coordinated and inte-
grated manner.
(7) An awareness of the terrorism threat
against the United States agricultural sector has in-
creased within the intelligence and counterterrorism
agencies of the Federal Government, and efforts
must be undertaken to position the agricultural sec-
tor to anticipate and defend against such a threat.
(8) The internal and external agency structures
of the Department of Agriculture must be strength-
ened to enable to the United States agricultural sec-
tor to fully realize its strengths and vulnerabilities in
the face of international terrorism.
(9) The Department of Agriculture is a critical
component of the collaborative infrastructure needed
to deal with terrorism threats to the United States
agricultural production and food supply system.
(b) INTERAGENCY AGRICULTURAL TERRORISM COM-
MITTEE.—(1) The President shall establish an Inter-
agency Agricultural Terrorism Committee to coordinate
the counterterrorism effort for the protection of the
United States agricultural production and food supply sys-
tem. Greater coordination between Federal and State gov-
ernment agencies is necessary to effectively address poten-
tial terrorism threats against the system. Primary agen-
cies of concern include—
(A) The Department of Agriculture, in par-
ticular the Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service of the Department of Agriculture.
(B) The United States Customs Service.
(C) The Food and Drug Administration.
(D) State departments of agriculture.
(2) The responsibilities of the Interagency Agricul-
tural Terrorism Committee shall include—
(A) preparing a plan defining the role of each
agency in safeguarding agricultural production,
processing and marketing systems;
(B) improving domestic crisis planning and
management criteria;
(C) safeguarding critical infrastructures in agri-
cultural production and food supply system; and
(D) supporting research efforts to enhance
counterterrorism capabilities related to the agricul-
tural production and food supply system.
(c) DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE COOPERATION
WITH OTHER AGENCIES.—The Secretary of Agriculture
shall continue and strengthen cooperation with the Na-
tional Security Council, the Department of Justice, and
other departments and agencies with responsibilities under
Presidential Decision Directive 62 concerning the role of
the Department of Agriculture in counterterrorism pro-
grams of the Federal Government. The Secretary of Agri-
culture shall engage in active partnership with the Weap-
ons of Mass Destruction Preparedness Group of the Na-
tional Security Council focusing on the role of the Depart-
ment of Agriculture regarding food and agricultural pro-
tection issues.
(d) 
DEPARTMENT
OF
AGRICULTURE
COUNTERTERRORISM POLICY COUNCIL.—The Depart-
ment of Agriculture Counterterrorism Policy Council, es-
tablished in 1999 and chaired by the Deputy Secretary
of Agriculture, shall continue to serve as the Department
of Agriculture’s senior policy forum for coordinating and
leveraging departmental-wide support regarding terrorism
issues. The Secretary of Agriculture shall appoint an agri-
cultural liaison on terrorism to report to the Homeland
Security Office and serve as a liaison on all agricultural
matters involving security and agricultural terrorism
threats.
(e) AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRY INVOLVEMENT.—The
Secretary of Agriculture shall establish an Industry Work-
ing Group on Agricultural Terrorism comprised of agricul-
tural producer, processing, distribution, and retail organi-
zations to serve in a consultative manner with the Depart-
ment of Agriculture to develop measures to counteract ter-
rorist threats against the agricultural production and food
supply system. The Secretary shall also establish training
and information programs for agricultural producers to
counter the threat of pests and disease at the farm level
and to convey counterterrorism information to agricultural
producers.
(f) INCREASED SURVEILLANCE, DETECTION
AND
INTERDICTION.—Greater financial and staff resources
should be dedicated at the State and Federal Government
levels for the detection and interdiction of agricultural ter-
rorism threats. Critical among these priorities are increas-
ing the number of inspectors and detection devices at
ports of entry for the interception of prohibited and dam-
aging agricultural products or agriculturally related prod-
ucts.
(g) DIAGNOSTIC FACILITIES.—To improve the capa-
bility of Federal diagnostic facilities to accurately and effi-
ciently identify diseases and substances that are haz-
ardous to plants and animals used in food production, the
Secretary of Agriculture shall establish a Biosafety Level
4 facility within the Department of Agriculture at the
Plum Island Diagnostic Laboratory, to create the diag-
nostic tests and vaccines needed to protect the United
States swine industry from acts of biological terrorism and
disease, such as the Nipah virus. The Biosafety Level 4
facility shall be designed to prevent contact between micro-
organisms and personnel as well as escape into the envi-
ronment. A database shall be established to link animal
and human disease information systems.
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