Senate Floor Speech
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
October 17, 2001 -- Page: S10796

MRS. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce, along with my colleagues Senators Cochran, Miller, and Feinstein, the Agricultural Bioterrorism Countermeasures Act of 2001.

Due to the growing concerns about threats aimed at America's food supply and vital agricultural economies, I am introducing this legislation to identify, prepare for, and respond to such bioterrorist threats to our farms, ranches, livestock, poultry, crops, and food processing, packaging, and distribution facilities and systems.

As we continue the fight against terrorism, it is critical that we dedicate sufficient resources to bioterrorism, a growing threat which has the potential of putting the safety of the U.S. food supply at risk. The United States currently boasts the world's safest and most abundant and affordable food supply, which benefits our citizens and helps bolster our economy. Clearly, it would be devastating for the public to lose confidence in the safety of our food. We, as a Nation, must respond by developing the technology and implementing the countermeasures necessary to identify and quickly control these risks.

The potential threat of bioterrorism to the U.S. population and to our food supply has been recognized over the years, from the cold war to the gulf war. During the cold war, it was known that the former Soviet Union had a bio-weapons program that included bio-agents aimed at agriculture, while during the gulf war our own soldiers have shown evidence of possible use of biological weapons. Meanwhile, in Japan, terrorists have already tried once to use chemical and bioagents on the subways. In addition, the recent outbreaks of foot and mouth disease in Europe and ``mad-cow disease'' have increased public awareness and concern about exotic diseases that may affect the public through agricultural infection.

The Agriculture Bioterrorism Countermeasures Act of 2001 will authorize the U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA, to strengthen its capacities to identify, prepare for, and respond to a bioterrorist threat including an attack on the United States' food supply and agriculture. This bill will expand the capacity of the USDA to enhance inspection capability, implement new information technology, and develop methods for rapid detection and identification of plant and animal disease.

This legislation will also strengthen America's research and development capacity by promoting collaboration between organizations that are addressing the use of agricultural bioterrorism, such as the federal government, universities, and private sector. The USDA will establish a Consortium for Countermeasures Against Agricultural Bioterrorism to form long-term programs of research and development to enhance the biosecurity of U.S. agriculture. America's institutes of higher education that have a demonstrated expertise in animal and plant disease research, strong linkages with diagnostic laboratories, and strong coordination with state cooperative extension programs will provide the resources and expertise that will prove invaluable in the war on agricultural bioterrorism.

Protecting our agriculture is critical to my home state. Food production and agriculture make up some of Texas' largest and most diverse economies. Countless amounts of food products, grains, livestock, and poultry travel across our 1200 mile border with Mexico and through our ports of the Gulf of Mexico. We--along with other major agriculture states included Mississippi, Georgia and California--are vulnerable to a bioterrorist attack. However, we will also serve as the first lines of defense for our entire country.

To protect our food supply, our citizens, and our economy, I urge my colleagues to support the Agricultural Bioterrorism Countermeasures Act of 2001.