Economic impact of a terrorist attack on the heartland

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Source: Dr. Curtis Kastner -- Professor, Director of the Food Science Institute at K-State

RADIO REPORT: 1 Wrap
2 Actualities

You have selected a report about the effects of terrorism on the U.S. food supply. The wrap and two sound bites follow in 3, 2, 1. . .

WRAP 1: An expert in food safety at K-State explains how terrorist attacks against "soft" targets like the U.S. food supply can have long-lasting effects.

TIME: 53 seconds

SUGGESTED INTRO: MOST OF US AGREE THAT THE WORLD IS A MUCH DIFFERENT PLACE THAN IT WAS BEFORE 9-11. AN EXPERT AT K-STATE EXPLAINS THAT A TERRORIST ATTACK ON OUR FOOD SUPPLY WOULD HAVE LONG LASTING EFFECTS ON OUR ECONOMY. LANICE THOMSON REPORTS.

AGRICULTURE IN THE UNITED STATES IS A BIG BUSINESS. DR. CURTIS KASTNER, DIRECTOR OF K-STATE’S FOOD SCIENCE INSTITUTE, SAYS KEEPING OUR FOOD SUPPLIES SAFE FROM TERRORISTS IS A BIG CONCERN. HE SAYS ALTHOUGH ATTACKS ON HARD TARGETS SUCH AS BUILDINGS MAY TAKE MORE LIVES, THE EFFECTS ON SOFT TARGETS, SUCH AS THE FOOD SUPPLY, WOULD HAVE ADVERSE ECONOMIC EFFECTS. . . .

(Kastner: "Let’s say if foot and mouth disease were to happen either on the west coast or wherever. Before that would brought under control, it would have an estimated billions of dollars of economic impact before that would be brought under control. So, when we’re talking about the economic consequences, it can easily be in the billions depending upon the how widespread the incident is."

LANICE THOMSON, KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY.

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