Homeland Security has terrorism blindspot on food, agriculture and animals, watchdog warns

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office (CWMD) failed to oversee and coordinate the department's work to protect U.S. food, agriculture and veterinary systems from terror attacks and other national security threats, the agency watchdog reports.

The Securing Our Agriculture and Food Act (SAFA) called for an oversight program, according to the July 16 Inspector General audit report which states that "CWMD has not yet carried out a program to oversee and manage the Department’s efforts to defend the food and agriculture system, lead policy initiatives, or coordinate with DHS components or Federal agencies."

"We interviewed CWMD officials and requested documentation to determine any ongoing progress to fulfill SAFA’s requirements in lieu of having a program. CWMD officials could not provide adequate documentation and responded that the office is not actively monitoring or tracking the Department’s food, agriculture, and veterinary systems defense activities," the report states.

While the Homeland Security Secretary had assigned the duties to CWMD, a former CWMD official explained that the reason for these problems was the perception that CWMD did not possess adequate authority to take the required action.

"According to the former Deputy Assistant Secretary of CWMD, CWMD does not have the authority to direct or influence resources and priorities of the other components," the report said. "This official further stated CWMD has no authority over other DHS components because each component operates under its own chain of command."

You can read the full report here.

The report further said that CWMD had not properly focused on the three areas of food, agriculture and veterinary defense.

"Since becoming an office in December 2017, CWMD has not devoted the staff necessary to oversee the Department’s food, agriculture, and veterinary defense efforts," the audit report says.

But the CWMD informed the Inspector General that it has made progress toward addressing the situation.

"CWMD noted that since our audit fieldwork, it has undergone a change in senior leadership that reprioritized the critical role CWMD plays in implementing SAFA. CWMD has subsequently reconstituted a formal Food, Agriculture, and Veterinary Defense program, which is now staffed with personnel supported by a budget," the report notes.