Missouri’s Agriculture Key to National Security

Folks in my state know that Missouri’s farms and ranches are the backbone of Missouri’s economy—pumping tens of billions of dollars into our economy and providing job opportunities to hundreds of thousands of Missourians. But not everyone is aware of how vital protecting our agriculture industry is to America’s national security.

As a leader of the Senate’s Homeland Security Committee, I want to make sure our country is prepared for all possible threats to our nation’s security, including agro-terrorism—the threat terrorists could pose to our agriculture and livestock.

Agro-terrorism is a threat to many Missourians’ way of life and a threat to the country’s entire food system. And that’s why I’m crossing the political aisle, and teaming up with a Republican colleague to do something about it.

The American agricultural industry contributes $300 billion annually to our economy. National security experts have warned that if terrorists were to introduce a virus into our livestock population, or contaminate our food stores, the results could be disastrous. We’ve seen examples across the world of the type of devastation animal disease outbreaks can cause. In Taiwan, Foot and Mouth Diseases led to the killing of four million hogs, resulting in an economic loss of $7 billion. And just last year, 400,000 birds had to be euthanized at 10 Indiana poultry farms due to a bird flu outbreak.  We haven’t had Foot and Mouth Disease in the U.S. since the early 1900s, but it continues to exist around the world and presents a potential threat to us.

And it’s not just farmers and ranchers who are at risk. Many of the diseases that terrorists could introduce into livestock could be transmitted to humans. Deliberate mass food contamination could prove deadly, especially for seniors and children. And threats like these could also come about through something as simple as a factory mistake.

Wherever these threats come from, we’ve got to be prepared.

From my work with top homeland and national security officials and as a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I know how important it is that we address these security threats head on. For this reason, Republican Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas and I have introduced the bipartisan Securing Our Agriculture and Food Act. Our bill requires the Department of Homeland Security to set up a system for what they’ll do in the face of agro-terrorism or natural agricultural disasters, helping to minimize the spread of diseases among livestock, curb the risk of food contamination, and prevent infected animals from transmitting diseases to people.

Missouri is home to nearly 100,000 farms, and the agriculture industry employs hundreds of thousands of Missourians. We’ve got to be prepared for threats to farmers and ranchers in order to protect our state and our national security as a whole. And that’s exactly what our new legislation would achieve.