7 U.S.C. § 3354: Agricultural bioterrorism…

Summary

Allows the Secretary of Agriculture (called the Secretary) to use research programs to protect the U.S. food supply from bioterrorism. The work includes improving quick response to threats; building long-term partnerships with colleges and other groups for planning, training, outreach, and research on vulnerabilities, response, detection, and prevention; coordinating with intelligence agencies; working with international disease-control groups; making fast field test kits for plants and animals for state and local use; and creating an early warning system that links veterinary labs, research centers, and public health agencies to better protect agriculture. Congress authorized $190,000,000 for fiscal year 2002 and allowed such sums as needed for each later year.

Title 7, §3354

Agriculture, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In general

The Secretary of Agriculture (referred to in this section as the “Secretary”) may utilize existing research authorities and research programs to protect the food supply of the United States by conducting and supporting research activities to—

(1)enhance the capability of the Secretary to respond in a timely manner to emerging or existing bioterrorist threats to the food and agricultural system of the United States;

(2)develop new and continue partnerships with institutions of higher education and other institutions to help form stable, long-term programs to enhance the biosecurity and food safety of the United States, including the coordination of the development, implementation, and enhancement of diverse capabilities for addressing threats to the nation’s agricultural economy and food supply, with special emphasis on planning, training, outreach, and research activities related to vulnerability analyses, incident response, detection, and prevention technologies;

(3)strengthen coordination with the intelligence community to better identify research needs and evaluate materials or information acquired by the intelligence community relating to potential threats to United States agriculture;

(4)expand the involvement of the Secretary with international organizations dealing with plant and animal disease control;

(5)continue research to develop rapid detection field test kits to detect biological threats to plants and animals and to provide such test kits to State and local agencies preparing for or responding to bioterrorism;

(6)develop an agricultural bioterrorism early warning surveillance system through enhancing the capacity of and coordination between State veterinary diagnostic laboratories, Federal and State agricultural research facilities, and public health agencies; and

(7)otherwise improve the capacity of the Secretary to protect against the threat of bioterrorism.

(b)Authorization of appropriations

There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, $190,000,000 for fiscal year 2002, and such sums as may be necessary for each subsequent fiscal year.

Editorial Notes

Codification Section was enacted as part of the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002, and not as part of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 which comprises this chapter.

§3354 Agricultural Bioterrorism Research and Development

Summary

Title 7, §3354

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

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