Publikationsdatenbank

Agro - / bio - terrorism in Europe?
Analysis of selected suspicious biological events (significant from the One Health perspective) after 24.02.2022 (2022)

Art

Vortrag

Autor

Jarynowski, Andrzej (WE 16)

Kongress

BioMed Panel Meeting

Warsaw, 25. – 27.10.2022

Quelle

Sprache

Englisch

Verweise

URL (Volltext): http://interdisciplinary-research.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/agro_BIOTERRORISM_aj_warsaw_2022.pdf

Kontakt

Institut für Veterinär-Epidemiologie und Biometrie

Königsweg 67
14163 Berlin
+49 30 838 56034
epi@vetmed.fu-berlin.de

Abstract / Zusammenfassung

Agroterrorism is the deliberate use of biological agents and other means against agricultural production and food supply chains. There are some advantages of agroterrorism over human-centered bioterrorism, e.g. lone wolves or small groups of agents can get the pathogen and transport material without risking their own health, and with low operating costs, a high impact on food security can be achieved. The COVID-19 pandemic has further contributed to a significant increase in knowledge and technologies that can be used to purposefully introduced pathogens/agrophages, such as: 1) ease of sourcing (ie knowledge of the basics of microbiology and pathogenesis); 2) verification of infectious agents (ie access to portable diagnostics); 3) ease of implementation (ie knowledge of the basics of epidemiology and transmission routes). Therefore, at present, the area of ​​Poland and the region is characterized by the highest level of agroterrorism risk since the entry into force of the BWC Convention (1972) and the Geneva Convention (1977). It is worth emphasizing how simple it can be to deliberately introduce animal pathogens or plant pests into a disease-free area, e.g. African swine fever (ASF). The calibrated Grunow & Finke and Agricultural Index epidemiological assessment tools were applied to selected biological events that occurred in Europe after the Russian invasion on Ukraine. Other means of possible influence of foreign intelligence on European agricultural (mainly animal) production (i.e. by disinformation in social media or engagements of so-called “useful idiots”) will be discussed.