Averting Disaster: A Critical Analysis of Agrisecurity in the Texas Agricultural Industry

This comment focuses on how Texas would respond to the release of a foreign animal disease (FAD) into its livestock population. It explains that livestock is constantly at risk of exposure to various forms of contagious animal disease because of the required transportation during livestock production, the use of feedlots, and Texas’s proximity to Mexico. It assesses the current state of the Texas Animal Health Commission’s (TAHC) preparedness in the event of an animal health crisis, and suggest changes or additions to the agency’s current rules. It provides a detailed analysis and summary of the TAHC’s statutory authority, administrative rules, policies, and practices that would be put in effect to avert disaster.