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By Category: Public Health

Agro-Defense: Responding to Threats Against America’s Agriculture and Food System

(Canada Views) For instance, foot-and-mouth disease is a highly contagious disease affecting cattle and certain other animals. It can easily be transmitted by aerosol, clothing, and shoes. The impact of a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak could be devastating to our …and more »

September 14, 2011
| Filed under North America, Agriculture, and Public Health
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USDA to Ban Six More Deadly Strains of E. Coli

(Food Safety News) Six dangerous strains of E. coli — dubbed “the Big Six” — will soon be banned from the beef supply, U.S. Department of Agriculture officials said Monday. “This is one of the biggest steps forward in the protection of the beef supply in some time,” Under Secretary for Food Safety at USDA, Read More »

September 13, 2011
| Filed under North America, Agriculture, Biosafety, and Public Health
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Agroterrorism A Subject Of Study , And Concern, In Post 9/11 World

(KCUR) But in the post 9/11 era, the possibility of a deliberate attack on our food supply is something government, law enforcement, and private industry have been studying carefully. Dr. Peter Chalk of the Rand Corporation – a political scientist and expert on international terrorism – has written extensively on the issue of agroterrorism. He Read More »

September 12, 2011
| Filed under Africa, Asia/Pacific, Europe, Middle East, North America, South America, South Asia, Agriculture, Biological Weapons, Bioterrorism, International, and Public Health
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Protecting food supply a priority

(Capital Press) With the ten-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks past, the food processing industry is preparing to implement changes approved by Congress last winter. The Food Safety Modernization Act requires a food defense plan and includes 64 provisions that go into effect during the next five years, said Connie Kirby, vice president of Read More »

September 9, 2011
| Filed under North America, Agriculture, and Public Health
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Biodefence since 9/11: The price of protection

(Nature.com) It took one routine smallpox vaccination to expose the holes in the United States’ defences against bioterrorism. In January 2009, the jab was given to 20-year-old Lance Corporal Cory Belken of the US Marine Corps, as it is to many members of the military who are about to be deployed abroad, to protect him Read More »