Agriculture Secretary briefs members of Congress on bioterrorism
Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman briefed members of the Senate Agriculture Committee and their staffs Tuesday on bioterrorism but refused to meet with reporters afterwards.
Several senators said Veneman did not provide an assessment of the current risk to the U.S. food supply, but described the efforts of the USDA as part of the administration's response to the terrorist threat.
Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., said he is satisfied that agriculture is "at the table" as the Bush administration addresses terrorist threats, but Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said he wants to make sure that agriculture becomes a "integral" part of the homeland security effort.
Harkin said he believes the threat to the U.S. food supply may be greater than in the past because livestock are raised in such concentrated locations and grain is stored in warehouses larger than ever before.
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