    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book I)]
    [January 30, 2004]
    [Pages 173-177]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Homeland Security Presidential Directive/HSPD-9--Defense of United
    States Agriculture and Food
    January 30, 2004

    Subject: Defense of United States Agriculture and Food

    Purpose

        (1) This directive establishes a national policy to defend the
    agriculture and food system against terrorist attacks, major disasters,
    and other emergencies.

    Background

        (2) The United States agriculture and food systems are vulnerable to
    disease, pest, or poisonous agents that occur naturally, are
    unintentionally introduced, or are intentionally delivered by acts of
    terrorism. America's agriculture and food system is an extensive, open,
    interconnected, diverse, and complex structure providing potential
    targets for terrorist attacks. We should provide the best protection
    possible against a successful attack on the United States agriculture
    and food system, which could have catastrophic health and economic
    effects.

    Definitions

        (3) In this directive:
           (a)   The term ``critical infrastructure'' has the meaning given
                to that term in section 1016(e) of the USA PATRIOT Act of
                2001 (42 U.S.C. 5195c(e)).
           (b)   The term ``key resources'' has the meaning given that term
                in section 2(9) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6
                U.S.C. 101(9)).
           (c)   The term ``Federal departments and agencies'' means those
                executive departments enumerated in 5 U.S.C. 101, and the
                Department of Homeland Security; independent establishments
                as defined by 5 U.S.C. 104(1); Government corporations as
                defined by 5 U.S.C. 103(1); and the United States Postal
                Service.
           (d)   The terms ``State,'' and ``local government,'' when used in
                a geographical sense, have the same meanings given to those
                terms in section 2 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6
                U.S.C. 101).
           (e)   The term ``Sector-Specific Agency'' means a Federal
                department or agency responsible for infrastructure
                protection activities in a designated critical
                infrastructure sector or key resources category.

    Policy

        (4) It is the policy of the United States to protect the agriculture
    and food system from terrorist attacks, major disasters, and other
    emergencies by:
           (a)   identifying and prioritizing sector-critical infrastructure
                and key resources for establishing protection requirements;
           (b)   developing awareness and early warning capabilities to
                recognize threats;
           (c)   mitigating vulnerabilities at critical production and
                processing nodes;
           (d)   enhancing screening procedures for domestic and imported
                products; and
           (e)   enhancing response and recovery procedures.
        (5) In implementing this directive, Federal departments and agencies
    will ensure

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    that homeland security programs do not diminish the overall economic
    security of the United States.

    Roles and Responsibilities

        (6) As established in Homeland Security Presidential Directive-7
    (HSPD-7), the Secretary of Homeland Security is responsible for
    coordinating the overall national effort to enhance the protection of
    the critical infrastructure and key resources of the United States. The
    Secretary of Homeland Security shall serve as the principal Federal
    official to lead, integrate, and coordinate implementation of efforts
    among Federal departments and agencies, State and local governments, and
    the private sector to protect critical infrastructure and key resources.
    This directive shall be implemented in a manner consistent with HSPD-7.
        (7) The Secretaries of Agriculture, Health and Human Services, and
    the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency will perform
    their responsibilities as Sector-Specific Agencies as delineated in
    HSPD-7.

    Awareness and Warning

        (8) The Secretaries of the Interior, Agriculture, Health and Human
    Services, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and
    the heads of other appropriate Federal departments and agencies shall
    build upon and expand current monitoring and surveillance programs to:
           (a)   develop robust, comprehensive, and fully coordinated
                surveillance and monitoring systems, including international
                information, for animal disease, plant disease, wildlife
                disease, food, public health, and water quality that
                provides early detection and awareness of disease, pest, or
                poisonous agents;
           (b)   develop systems that, as appropriate, track specific
                animals and plants, as well as specific commodities and
                food; and
           (c)   develop nationwide laboratory networks for food,
                veterinary, plant health, and water quality that integrate
                existing Federal and State laboratory resources, are
                interconnected, and utilize standardized diagnostic
                protocols and procedures.
        (9) The Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and
    the Director of Central Intelligence, in coordination with the
    Secretaries of Agriculture, Health and Human Services, and the
    Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, shall develop and
    enhance intelligence operations and analysis capabilities focusing on
    the agriculture, food, and water sectors. These intelligence
    capabilities will include collection and analysis of information
    concerning threats, delivery systems, and methods that could be directed
    against these sectors.
        (10) The Secretary of Homeland Security shall coordinate with the
    Secretaries of Agriculture, Health and Human Services, and the
    Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the heads of
    other appropriate Federal departments and agencies to create a new
    biological threat awareness capacity that will enhance detection and
    characterization of an attack. This new capacity will build upon the
    improved and upgraded surveillance systems described in paragraph 8 and
    integrate and analyze domestic and international surveillance and
    monitoring data collected from human health, animal health, plant
    health, food, and water quality systems. The Secretary of Homeland
    Security will submit a report to me through the Homeland Security
    Council within 90 days of the date of this directive on specific options
    for establishing this capability, including recommendations for its
    organizational location and structure.

    Vulnerability Assessments

        (11) The Secretaries of Agriculture, Health and Human Services, and
    Homeland Security shall expand and continue vulnerability assessments of
    the agriculture

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    and food sectors. These vulnerability assessments should identify
    requirements of the National Infrastructure Protection Plan developed by
    the Secretary of Homeland Security, as appropriate, and shall be updated
    every 2 years.

    Mitigation Strategies

        (12) The Secretary of Homeland Security and the Attorney General,
    working with the Secretaries of Agriculture, Health and Human Services,
    the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Director
    of Central Intelligence, and the heads of other appropriate Federal
    departments and agencies shall prioritize, develop, and implement, as
    appropriate, mitigation strategies to protect vulnerable critical nodes
    of production or processing from the introduction of diseases, pests, or
    poisonous agents.
        (13) The Secretaries of Agriculture, Health and Human Services, and
    Homeland Security shall build on existing efforts to expand development
    of common screening and inspection procedures for agriculture and food
    items entering the United States and to maximize effective domestic
    inspection activities for food items within the United States.

    Response Planning and Recovery

        (14) The Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with the
    Secretaries of Agriculture, Health and Human Services, the Attorney
    General, and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency,
    will ensure that the combined Federal, State, and local response
    capabilities are adequate to respond quickly and effectively to a
    terrorist attack, major disease outbreak, or other disaster affecting
    the national agriculture or food infrastructure. These activities will
    be integrated with other national homeland security preparedness
    activities developed under HSPD-8 on National Preparedness.
        (15) The Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with the
    Secretaries of Agriculture, Health and Human Services, the Attorney
    General, and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency,
    shall develop a coordinated agriculture and food-specific standardized
    response plan that will be integrated into the National Response Plan.
    This plan will ensure a coordinated response to an agriculture or food
    incident and will delineate the appropriate roles of Federal, State,
    local, and private sector partners, and will address risk communication
    for the general public.
        (16) The Secretaries of Agriculture and Health and Human Services,
    in coordination with the Secretary of Homeland Security and the
    Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, shall enhance
    recovery systems that are able to stabilize agriculture production, the
    food supply, and the economy, rapidly remove and effectively dispose of
    contaminated agriculture and food products or infected plants and
    animals, and decontaminate premises.
        (17) The Secretary of Agriculture shall study and make
    recommendations to the Homeland Security Council, within 120 days of the
    date of this directive, for the use of existing, and the creation of
    new, financial risk management tools encouraging self-protection for
    agriculture and food enterprises vulnerable to losses due to terrorism.
        18) The Secretary of Agriculture, in coordination with the Secretary
    of Homeland Security, and in consultation with the Secretary of Health
    and Human Services and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection
    Agency, shall work with State and local governments and the private
    sector to develop:
           (a)   A National Veterinary Stockpile (NVS) containing sufficient
                amounts of animal vaccine, antiviral, or therapeutic
                products to appropriately respond to

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                the most damaging animal diseases affecting human health and
                the economy and that will be capable of deployment within 24
                hours of an outbreak. The NVS shall leverage where
                appropriate the mechanisms and infrastructure that have been
                developed for the management, storage, and distribution of
                the Strategic National Stockpile.
           (b)   A National Plant Disease Recovery System (NPDRS) capable of
                responding to a high-consequence plant disease with pest
                control measures and the use of resistant seed varieties
                within a single growing season to sustain a reasonable level
                of production for economically important crops. The NPDRS
                will utilize the genetic resources contained in the U.S.
                National Plant Germplasm System, as well as the scientific
                capabilities of the Federal-State-industry agricultural
                research and extension system. The NPDRS shall include
                emergency planning for the use of resistant seed varieties
                and pesticide control measures to prevent, slow, or stop the
                spread of a high-consequence plant disease, such as wheat
                smut or soybean rust.

    Outreach and Professional Development

        (19) The Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with the
    Secretaries of Agriculture, Health and Human Services, and the heads of
    other appropriate Federal departments and agencies, shall work with
    appropriate private sector entities to establish an effective
    information sharing and analysis mechanism for agriculture and food.
        (20) The Secretaries of Agriculture and Health and Human Services,
    in consultation with the Secretaries of Homeland Security and Education,
    shall support the development of and promote higher education programs
    for the protection of animal, plant, and public health. To the extent
    permitted by law and subject to availability of funds, the program will
    provide capacity building grants to colleges and schools of veterinary
    medicine, public health, and agriculture that design higher education
    training programs for veterinarians in exotic animal diseases,
    epidemiology, and public health as well as new programs in plant
    diagnosis and treatment.
        (21) The Secretaries of Agriculture and Health and Human Services,
    in consultation with the Secretaries of Homeland Security and Education,
    shall support the development of and promote a higher education program
    to address protection of the food supply. To the extent permitted by law
    and subject to the availability of funds, the program will provide
    capacity-building grants to universities for interdisciplinary degree
    programs that combine training in food sciences, agriculture sciences,
    medicine, veterinary medicine, epidemiology, microbiology, chemistry,
    engineering, and mathematics (statistical modeling) to prepare food
    defense professionals.
        (22) The Secretaries of Agriculture, Health and Human Services, and
    Homeland Security shall establish opportunities for professional
    development and specialized training in agriculture and food protection,
    such as internships, fellowships, and other post-graduate opportunities
    that provide for homeland security professional workforce needs.

    Research and Development

        (23) The Secretaries of Homeland Security, Agriculture, and Health
    and Human Services, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection
    Agency, and the heads of other appropriate Federal departments and
    agencies, in consultation with the Director of the Office of Science and
    Technology Policy, will accelerate and expand development of current and
    new countermeasures against the intentional introduction or natural
    occurrence of catastrophic animal, plant, and zoonotic diseases. The
    Secretary of Homeland Security will coordinate these activities. This
    effort will include

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    countermeasure research and development of new methods for detection,
    prevention technologies, agent characterization, and dose response
    relationships for high-consequence agents in the food and the water
    supply.
        (24) The Secretaries of Agriculture and Homeland Security will
    develop a plan to provide safe, secure, and state-of-the-art agriculture
    biocontainment laboratories that research and develop diagnostic
    capabilities for foreign animal and zoonotic diseases.
        (25) The Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the
    Secretaries of Agriculture and Health and Human Services, shall
    establish university-based centers of excellence in agriculture and food
    security.

    Budget

        (26) For all future budgets, the Secretaries of Agriculture, Health
    and Human Services, and Homeland Security shall submit to the Director
    of the Office of Management and Budget, concurrent with their budget
    submissions, an integrated budget plan for defense of the United States
    food system.

    Implementation

        (27) Nothing in this directive alters, or impedes the ability to
    carry out, the authorities of the Federal departments and agencies to
    perform their responsibilities under law and consistent with applicable
    legal authorities and Presidential guidance.
        (28) This directive is intended only to improve the internal
    management of the executive branch of the Federal Government, and it is
    not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive
    or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity, against the United
    States, its departments, agencies, or other entities, its officers or
    employees, or any other person.

                                                              George W. Bush

    Note: This directive was released by the Office of the Press Secretary
    on February 3.