KNOXVILLE – A retired veterinarian from the University of Tennessee will coordinate state efforts to guard against animal-disease disasters, including agroterrorism.
Dr. Bob Linnabary will serve as the state’s animal emergency coordinator for the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.
Linnabary will work with state and federal officials to build and enhance safety networks designed to minimize threats to animal agriculture in Tennessee.
“Agriculture is an attractive target for terrorists,” said Linnabary. “The animals and crops in the United States are vulnerable since neither have been exposed to nor bred for resistance to organisms foreign to our crops or animals.”
Linnabary has more than 20 years of experience in emergency management, including teaching classes on weapons of mass destruction and bioterrorism. He served on a recent USDA task force to England, providing veterinary assistance during the recent foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.
The part-time position is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in cooperation with the state agriculture department and the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.
You can find more information on this story from the UT Agricultural Experiment Station.