Perceptions of West Virginia Beef Cattle Producers on Preparedness for an Agroterrorism Attack

Biosecurity is a measure that can help protect beef producers from financial loss associated with an agroterrorism attack. This study sought to determine West Virginia beef producers\u27 perceptions of the potential for agroterrorism and what biosecurity measures they practice. A mailed questionnaire was sent to a sample population of 355 beef producers, with a response rate of 47.7%. Beef producers in West Virginia agreed that agroterrorism could happen in the United States and in West Virginia; however, the majority did not feel it would happen on their farms. A majority of the respondents indicated they would attend a program on agroterrorism and that their most common source of information on biosecurity measures was popular agriculture magazines. Isolating new animals was perceived to be the most important biosecurity measure that could be practiced on their farms, but less than half of the producers reported that they isolated new cattle