Abstract
The policy and resource infrastructure required to manage agricultural and environmental pest and pathogen incursions evolve and strengthen over time. Animal and plant health responses involve the highly coordinated efforts of various entities. Governments partner with state and territory officials, subject matter experts, and representatives of the commodity(ies) that are/may be impacted by the invasion. Short-, intermediate-, and long-term animal and plant health incident management tactics may change over time depending upon multiple conditions and externalities that will be described in this chapter. Results to response may range from fully successful eradication to learning to live with the pest and deregulation. Although the scope, timeframe, and consequences of events can vary, actions taken in response to the identification of an exotic plant or animal pest, disease, or condition are designed to minimize economic and environmental impacts, ensure trade and food security, assure business continuity, and avoid social unrest.
TopIntroduction
The United States (U.S.) faces, on an ongoing basis, a diverse set of threats and hazards that adversely impact row crops, specialty crops, forests, public gardens and park lands, individual animals and herds, or large integrated commercial networks of animal producers. The opportunity for disease spread within a commercial network is different than for a single producer since producers in large commercial networks often share trailers, employees, or utilize uniform contracts from outside vendors. For these entities, disease spread often occurs across large geographic boundaries and are not localized to one city, county, parish, or state. The livelihood of those engaged in commercial agriculture, forestry, or horticulture is jeopardized by an infectious or communicable animal or plant disease occurrence. A widespread animal disease could be disruptive to the U.S. economy and impact national food security and supply. Plant diseases and pests can economically damage a wide range of plant systems and natural resources or alter landscapes. For example, chestnut blight (Cryphonectria parasitica) eliminated a major component of eastern U.S. forest ecosystems and Dutch elm disease (Ophiostoma ulmi and O. novo-ulmi) has killed elm trees altering the landscape of streets, urban forests, parks and the natural environment in more than 25 states since the 1930s (D’Arcy, 2000) (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Elm trees once lined city streets across the U.S., but they were all killed by an introduced fungus
Although the scope and consequences of events can vary, actions taken in response to the identification of an exotic plant or animal pest, disease, or condition are designed to minimize economic and environmental impacts, ensure trade and food security, assure continuity of operations, and avoid social unrest. This chapter will describe the complex ecosystem and decision processes of response to novel, potentially high consequence incursions.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Eradication: A treatment to completely eliminate a pest from a given area ( FAO, 2007 ).
Euthanasia: From Greek for “Good Death,” to humanely end the life of an organism.
Biocontrol: The intentional introduction and establishment of an organism to control a pest or disease ( FAO, 2007 ).
Biosecurity: Measures aimed at preventing the introduction and/or spread of harmful organisms to animals and plants to minimize the risk of transmission of infectious disease.
Exposed: In this chapter, exposed means that an organism has likely come in contact with a pathogen or pest and may be infected or infested, but at too low a level to be detected by the currently available detection methods.
National Incident Management System: Part of the National Response Framework developed by DHS and FEMA to provide guidance to first responders to emergencies, hazards, threats, or disasters.
National Plant Board: A non-profit organization made up of all State Plant Regulatory officials in the United States (including Guam and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico).
Commodity Credit Corporation: A government-owned and operated organization created by Congress in 1933 to provide rapid access to funding for response to animal and plant health emergencies.
Chain of Custody: Method of ensuring that samples can be traced from collection, through shipping, to diagnostics and results. This ensures that the samples have legally been in possession or transit at all times.
DHS: Department of Homeland Security.
Incident: An occurrence of an exotic plant or animal health emergency to which USDA APHIS must respond.
Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards: Documents approved by a recognized body, that provides, for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines or characteristics for activities or their results related to plant and animal freedom from pests or pathogens ( FAO, 2007 ).
Quarantine: Official containment of regulated articles for treatment, inspection, or other regulatory activities.
APHIS: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. The agency within the United States Department of Agriculture responsibility for regulatory actions and responding to plant and animal health emergencies.
State Plant Regulatory Officials: A state employee responsible for overseeing, enforcing, and maintaining plant regulatory activities within a state.
National Response Framework (NRF): Framework to help the US and other entities respond to all types of emergencies and disasters and includes the Emergency Support Functions.
Incident Management Team: Trained teams of personnel who quickly respond to animal, plant health or other types of emergencies.
Bioterrorism: The intentional release or dissemination of an agent such as viruses, bacteria, fungi or toxins by a person, or group, to cause a disease or pest infestation for the purpose of causing economic damage, loss of the commodity and to induce panic into markets and the public to produce terror or as a means of biological warfare.
Authority: The entity or person designated to deal with matters associated with regulations and rules set forth in Code ( FAO, 2007 ).
Ex parte: A Latin legal term that means to communicate with one group while deliberations are still occurring.
Indemnity: Payment of money for a financial loss.
Premises: Location where animals or plants are kept prior to dispersal.
Phytosanitary: Relating to the health of plants, measures for the control of plant diseases.
Sterile Insect Technique: An integrated pest management technique that uses low dose radiation to sterilize insect pupae such that the insects produce non-viable eggs.
Infested: When air, water or premises or other non-living materials contain a pathogen or pest that can cause disease to specific organisms.
Regulated Articles: Any animal, plant, animal product, plant product, storage place, packaging, conveyance, container, soil and any other organism, object or material that could spread or contain a regulated pest or pathogen.
Infected: When a living organism has a pathogen that is causing disease.
Depopulation: To remove all organisms in a given area, usually through euthanasia or destruction of the organisms to reduce the likelihood of pest or pathogen spread.
Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD): A specific type of Presidential Executive Order that directs federal agencies in the executive branch to perform specific tasks related to the security of the US.