Protecting American Agriculture

U.S. agriculture made up more than $90 billion of gross domestic product in 2006 and in the same year generated more than $68 billion in exports. It also provides an abundant and economical supply of food, feed, and fiber for Americans and others around the world. Protecting agriculture is therefore critically important to the well-being of Americans and the U.S. economy. The federal government has taken steps to protect this sector from catastrophic events, such as an attack on the nation’s food supply or large-scale outbreaks of diseases affecting both animals and humans. However, our work has shown that numerous challenges remain, including the following:

• USDA and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have not resolved which agency will have the lead coordinating role during an extraordinary outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza, a disease with the potential to mutate and cause a human pandemic.

  Highlights of GAO-07-652 (PDF)

• Several complex challenges and management issues limit USDA and its coordinating partners from quickly and effectively responding to large outbreaks should they occur.

  Highlights of GAO-07-652 (PDF), Highlights of GAO-05-214 (PDF)

• There are serious security vulnerabilities at the Plum Island Animal Disease Center, the national laboratory responsible for diagnosing and researching exotic livestock diseases, such as foot-and-mouth disease. The accidental or deliberate release of pathogens from this facility, or the new facility replacing Plum Island, could be devastating to the nation’s economy.

  Full Report of GAO-08-306R (PDF, 10 pages), Highlights of GAO-03-847 (PDF)

^ Back to topWhat Needs to Be Done

To protect American agriculture from terrorism and disease,

• USDA and DHS need to develop a memorandum of understanding that describes how the two departments will work together in the event of an emergency or major disaster for an animal disease outbreak, establish a process to identify and assess the major risks posed by foreign pests and disease, and develop a national staffing model to ensure that agriculture staffing levels at the nation’s ports are sufficient to meet those risks.

  Highlights of GAO-07-652 (PDF), Highlights of GAO-06-644 (PDF)

• USDA needs to identify the capabilities necessary to respond to an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza, use this information to develop a response plan with key elements, such as critical tasks, resources, and time frames, and test these capabilities to identify gaps and ways to overcome those gaps.

  Highlights of GAO-07-652 (PDF)

To help achieve rapid implementation of the National Animal Identification System and effectively trace animal diseases, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) needs to

• establish benchmarks for the number of firms that must participate in the system in order to gauge progress in registering premises and identifying and tracking animals, and
• if participation does not meet the benchmarks, take further action, such as making participation mandatory or creating incentives to achieve those levels of participation.

  Highlights of GAO-07-592 (PDF)

^ Back to topKey Reports

Plum Island Animal Disease Center: DHS Has Made Significant Progress Implementing Security Recommendations, but Several Recommendations Remain Open

GAO-08-306R, December 17, 2007

Summary (HTML)   Full Report (PDF, 15 pages)   Accessible Text

National Animal Identification System: USDA Needs to Resolve Several Key Implementation Issues to Achieve Rapid and Effective Disease Traceback

GAO-07-592, July 6, 2007

Summary (HTML)   Highlights Page (PDF)   Full Report (PDF, 90 pages)   Accessible Text   Recommendations (HTML)

Avian Influenza: USDA Has Taken Important Steps to Prepare for Outbreaks, but Better Planning Could Improve Response

GAO-07-652, June 11, 2007

Summary (HTML)   Highlights Page (PDF)   Full Report (PDF, 60 pages)   Accessible Text   Recommendations (HTML)

Homeland Security: Management and Coordination Problems Increase the Vulnerability of U.S. Agriculture to Foreign Pests and Disease

GAO-06-644, May 19, 2006

Summary (HTML)   Highlights Page (PDF)   Full Report (PDF, 74 pages)   Accessible Text   Recommendations (HTML)

Homeland Security: Much Is Being Done to Protect Agriculture from a Terrorist Attack, but Important Challenges Remain

GAO-05-214, March 8, 2005

Summary (HTML)   Highlights Page (PDF)   Full Report (PDF, 101 pages)   Accessible Text   Recommendations (HTML)

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