Wiley Handbook of Science and Technology for Homeland Security, 4 Volume Set

FOREIGN ANIMAL DISEASES AND FOOD SYSTEM SECURITY

BARRETT D. SLENNING

Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina

JIMMY L. TICKEL

Emergency Programs Division, North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Raleigh, North Carolina

1 INTRODUCTION

Food safety and security takes many forms and requires differing methods, depending on the nature of the threat, the kind of agricultural commodity vulnerabilities involved, and the consequences of the event. Major threats to western agricultural economies are foreign animal diseases (FADs), such as foot and mouth disease (FMD) or highly pathogenic avian influenza. In fact, such are the threats, through direct effects on food production and security, as well as through direct and indirect impacts on public health and economic stability, that all nations have developed major programs for detecting and eradicating these diseases as soon as is practicable. Most such programs are aimed toward quickly regaining international trade, and so, utilize severe control methods such as stop movement orders (SMOs) and “stamping out/eradication” (SOE) programs. However, SOE was designed and proven under market systems very different from those in modern agriculture. Further, the focus on international trade, at least for the United States (USA), is misguided. In the end, SOE programs have shown themselves to have the potential, if not the probability, ...