Crop and Food Biosecurity Research: Luxury or Need?

The political interest in security issues has resulted in a shift of research priorities to include also in agricultural research in order to increase awareness of the impacts of plant pathogens and the diseases they cause. Security-related issues are being financed particularly in the U.S., but also the European Union is considering security a high priority within its VII Framework Programme. Since the development of crop biosecurity as a field of research is relatively new, an ethical examination of potential conflicts that may arise in this area of research is appropriate. Therefore an open international dialogue may contribute to the development of collaborative research programmes and of supporting infrastructures for crop biosecurity and may offer the tools needed to defend the agricultural sector against crop bioterrorism.