Speeches

Bio-terrorism Conference (Aug. 11, 2003)

Address by Dr. Roy L. Austin
U.S. Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago
Bio-terrorism Conference, Monday, August 11th, 2003
La Boucan, Trinidad Hilton

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Good morning!

I am pleased to be here this morning to open this Seminar on the implications of the United States’ Bio-Terrorism Act on Food and Drink Exporters to the United States. In a moment, I will yield the floor to our experts from the United States Department of Agriculture who have come to explain the requirements of this new law and how you, food producers and food processors, can not only comply with the law but use it to your benefit.

To the general public, it appears that government officials are forever busy addressing the crisis of the day, not having time to sit down and think of the long-term problems that may confront us in the future. That is, unfortunately, truer than any of us would like to admit. But the events of September 11, 2001 have obliged us to focus on the future and to at least try and anticipate the problems that may confront us. The terrorist attacks of 9/11 came as a great shock. But we are determined not to let it unnecessarily interfere with our lives. And we are also determined not to let it disrupt our relations with our friends and neighbors abroad, including here in the Caribbean. In order to do that, we have tried to anticipate those problems that might be on the distant horizon.

Until now, we have attended especially to the management of people through our borders. The elimination of the transit-without visa program, which was made public last week, is but one indication of this. We realized that there was a window of opportunity for terrorists who might be able to exploit this program to target the United States, hiding behind the curtain of legitimate travel. I regret that we have had to put an end to this program, and hope that it will not be too much of an inconvenience for the traveling public.

We are now focusing on the movement of goods into the United States as well. Customs authorities have been hard at work developing a management system for the inspection and security of goods coming into the United States. Perhaps the products most vulnerable to exploitation by terrorists are the food and drink we import from other countries. The United States, even though a great food-producing nation, nevertheless imports a huge amount of food from abroad -- $42 billion worth in 2002 alone. The Caribbean’s share of that was $356 million worth of agricultural products, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture figures. We want -- and expect -- that food to be safe.

And that’s why this legislation on bio-terrorism is so important. Americans will not eat food, either imported or domestic, unless they are confident that it is safe. The increase in interest in naturally-grown foods raised free of chemicals is just one example of this attitude. Your participation in this regulatory process will help ensure your access to the United States market because participation is likely to improve the quality and the security of the food products you sell. We know that you, the producers and exporters, only want to send out the best the Caribbean has to offer. That is a point of pride as much as anything else. The new regulatory system that we will learn about today will help you ensure that.

This system will also help protect you against threats. I do not have to remind you about the concerns over Chilean fruit that damaged that trade several years ago, or the threats, often baseless, that Israeli agricultural products exported to Europe often encounter. Even a bad word spoken has a negative effect. But under this new regulatory system, you, the producers and exporters, as well as your importing partners in the U.S. market, will have an effective answer to any threat. Your business will be protected from the bad words and deeds of others.

With this new system, if there is in fact any real problem for whatever reason, there will be procedures in place that will allow U.S. authorities – and you, the producers and exporters – to act quickly, before the problem gets out of hand.

While I am not familiar with the ins and outs of the system that we will learn about today, I realize that it will take a little work, a little foresight and a little planning. I will not deny that it will be somewhat of a burden, at least at first. But you also cannot deny that it is a good idea and a necessary one. And I hope that at the end of the day you will agree that your efforts were worthwhile.


Now, speaking as a member of the Caribbean diaspora, I must confess a little self-interest in your success. I have a home in State College, Pennsylvania, which is four hours from any major city and which can get cold during the winter. The bounty of the Caribbean occasionally makes it that far. I will be returning there some day. Please don’t deprive me of the psychological warmth of a few Caribbean morsels!

Thank you!