LibDems back Gill eco-terrorism claim
15 May 2001
LibDems back Gill ‘eco-terrorism’ claim
By FWi staff
THE Liberal Democrats have supported claims by the National Farmers Union that eco-terrorists may have started Britains foot-and-mouth crisis.
NFU president Ben Gill caused outrage among environmentalists when he suggested that extremists may have targeted British farmers.
But Lib-Dem agriculture spokesman Colin Breed backed Mr Gills warnings about the threat of biological warfare to the countrys farming industry.
“The threat of biological terrorism should not be dismissed out of hand.
“We must ensure our agricultural base and food production abilities cannot be held to ransom or considered a legitimate target for terrorist organisations.”
Mr Breed said the government should implement a full enquiry to identify the cause of the foot-and-mouth outbreak and protect against future epidemics.
“This review must recognise the threat from terrorist organisations”
The US Government is spending $40 million to protect against the threat of terrorism against farming, claims the journal Janes Intelligence Review.
Mr Breed said the money would be used by the US Department of Agriculture to protect against biological terrorism, including the use of foot-and-mouth.
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