A Poultry All-Hazard Threat, Vulnerability, and Capability Assessment

Agriculture is argued to be one of our most critical infrastructures and is vital to human health and survivability. Agriculture is economically important in Virginia as it provides over 350,000 jobs and generates $55 billion annually (Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services). This high criticality lends to significant areas of vulnerability in each sector of agriculture. Rockingham County is of particular importance as the top agriculturally producing county in the state and is ranked 5th in the nation for poultry sales (2007 Census of Agriculture). The desire to uphold this high production calls for a need to better understand what vulnerabilities threaten productivity. This research employs an all hazard approach which examines intentional attacks of both a criminal and terrorist nature. Three specific areas address these concerns. First, the Potential Threat Elements which may attack the poultry industry are exploited. Second, vulnerabilities of the poultry farms where primary grow operations take place are analyzed. Finally, the capability of Rockingham County Fire Rescue to respond to an agricultural incident is discussed.