The National Cotton Council has established an online resource ( http://www.cotton.org/tech/safety/biosecurity.cfm) to raise awareness of how the agro-terrorism threat applies to the U.S. cotton industry. This includes USDA’s voluntary “Pre-Harvest Security Guidelines and Checklist” for farming operations.

The potential of terrorist attacks against agricultural targets is recognized as a national security threat by the federal government. The Department of Homeland Security, in concert with other federal agencies, continues to develop strategies to protect agricultural production and processing from terrorist acts.

NCC, as a member of the Food and Agriculture Sector Coordinating Council, is working with state and federal government agencies to monitor and communicate counter-terrorism measures that affect all cotton industry segments.