KSU President Richard Myers during Thursday’s testimony
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — The president of Kansas State University has told Congress that the country is unprepared to deal with its food supply that he says is threatened by both terrorism and natural plant and animal diseases.
University President Richard Myers was invited to testify Wednesday by Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas. He says there’s an urgent need to protect the country’s food supply from “naturally occurring and intentionally developed and delivered biological threats.”
See text of Myers testimony here. Watch it here.
Myers also said the university needs federal funding to continue research on four emerging animal diseases.
The university has been using its own biological isolation labs to research the diseases in anticipation of the opening of the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility.
Roberts says Myers’ recommendations should be written in Congress’ next farm bill.