Terrorists are traditionally employ "gun and bomb" type attacks such as suicide bombers, bombs in planes, hostage taking, etc. Agroterrorism is providing terrorist organizations a far easier and safer way to attack a country as well as having numerous unprotected targets. The goal of this type of terrorism is not necessarily the total elimination of the food system but panic, fear and substantial economic loss.

For example in 2003 a single case of Mad Cow Disease (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy) was discovered in America. Within two days of the discovery, beef related stocks suffered significant depreciation, and many foreign countries refused to accept American beef. The result was a loss of almost $1 billion dollars in export revenue...all from one infected cow.

A Holstein dairy cow with blistered sores on its skin is one of 10 that got sick on John Koopman's farm in Enumclaw. Three of the sickened cows ultimately died. (June 22, 2004)  Credit: Karen Ducey/Seattle Post-Intelligencer

The diseases or toxins needed to disrupt our agriculture system are extremely easy to obtain and disburse either from infected animals themselves or from the many unsecured laboratories across the nation.  Because there is no need to ‘weaponize’ these type of diseases, they can be easily smuggled into the country or grown/acquired locally. It is quite simply the easiest type of terrorism weapon to produce, far surpassing Ricin and Anthrax (both naturally occurring) which need to be refined or weaponized to become truly effective.