Agroterrorism and Ecoterrorism: A Survey of Indo-American Approaches Under Law and Policy to Prevent and Defend Against the Potential Threats Ahead

Kevin H. Govern, Ave Maria School of Law

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Copyright (c) 2009 Florida Coastal Law Review Florida Coastal Law Review ARTICLE: AGROTERRORISM AND ECOTERRORISM: A SURVEY OF INDO-AMERICAN APPROACHES UNDER LAW AND POLICY TO PREVENT AND DEFEND AGAINST THESE POTENTIAL THREATS AHEAD Winter, 2009 10 Fl. Coastal L. Rev. 223

Abstract

“Agroterrorism is a subset of bioterrorism, and is defined as the deliberate introduction of an animal or plant disease with the goal of generating fear, causing economic losses, and/or undermining social stability.” Its partner in crime is ecoterrorism, “the use or threatened use of violence of a criminal nature against innocent victims or property by an environmentally-oriented, subnational group for environmental-political reasons, or aimed at an audience beyond the target, often of a symbolic nature.” Furthermore, “[a]s recently as June 2004, the FBI designated ‘eco-terrorism’ . . . as the [U.S.’] number one militant chal- lenge emanating from inside its own borders.” India is the world’s fourth largest agricultural power, with agriculture representing about twenty percent of India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employing almost two-thirds of the active population. With the largest number of livestock in the world, India is one of the world leaders in production of milk, fruits, vegetables, wheat, rice, tea, cotton, and sugar. By comparison, agricultural production comprises only about one percent of the U.S. GDP, however that production accounts for sixty percent of the world’s total agricultural production, including the largest production of cheese, corn, soybeans, and tobacco in the world, more wheat and corn exported than any other nation, and the third leading exporter of rice. Agroterrorism’s first order effect would be the disruption of Indian or U.S. agricultural sectors. Killing farm animals, contaminating vegetation, and disrupting supplies of unadulterated natural resources may become the means to the diabolical ends of causing economic damage, social unrest, and loss of confidence in government. While India and the U.S. have not yet been directly assailed by large-scale agroterrorist and ecoterrorist threats, both the events of September 11, 2001 and November 26-29, 2008, in the United States and India respectively, were unforgettable terrorist acts that took lives and destroyed property on a heretofore unthinkable scale. Both the U.S. and India face the very real potential that international terrorists, military opponents, economic opportunists, domestic terrorists or criminals, and militant animal rights activists will at some point in the future bring their tentative plans to fruition as positive events furthering their agendas.

As both nations combat crime and terrorism domestically and abroad, laws and policies at the state and federal levels have been passed and international cooperation undertaken to prevent, defend against, and prosecute such actions.

This article will survey such efforts in India and the U.S., with the suggestion of a three-pronged, combined, interagency approach to preventing agroterrorist and ecoterrorist attacks, enabling both nations to forge ahead in this critical effort.