Mad Cow Meets Terrorism

While scant serious attention is paid to mad cow disease by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and others responsible for keeping the food supply safe, some people are worried -- the Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security. The Times-News in Twin Falls, Idaho, reports that the threat of agroterrorism through the introduction of Mad Cow or hoof and mouth disease would have tremendous repercussions. "It's not very likely, but if it was to occur, it would be the one (terrorist strike) that would have the most impact economically," said Clint Blackwood, Jerome County disaster services coordinator. "It would devastate the livestock industry," said Terry Bingham, acting area field officer for the Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security. Center for Media and Democracy staffers Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber wrote about Mad Cow disease in their 1997 groundbreaking book Mad Cow U.S.A.: Could the Nightmare Happen Here.