Summary
Emergency
planning activities in most developed countries have increased as
a result of such events as the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks
and the emergence of the highly pathogenic Asian strain of avian influenza,
H5N1. The threat of terrorist activities, combined with advances in
science and technology, have resulted in an expanded spectrum of threat
for humans, animals, plants and the environment. It is possible that
an attack or disease incursion could be so catastrophic and devastating
that the resources to combat it would be rapidly overwhelmed. In these
cases, it may be necessary to develop an alternative strategy. The
author discusses the concept of protective zoning. Protective zoning
is a strategy to salvage or protect a smaller segment of an agriculture
sector or geographic area when resources are insufficient to protect
the entire sector or area. This change in orientation will be extremely
controversial and the exact criteria to determine when the situation
warrants a change in objective, as well as the precise activities
to be performed, must be determined by all stakeholders well in advance.
Changes to other activities in current emergency plans may be required.
The impact on the recovery phase plans will be significant.
Keywords
Agroterrorism,
Animals, Bioterrorism, Diseases, Emergency planning, Plants, Response,
Zoning.
|