CANBERRA, Australia, May 2 (UPI) -- Australia's food production is vulnerable to terrorist attack using unconventional contaminants, says its grocery industry.
The assessment was contained in a classified report obtained by The Australian newspaper.
The report was the work of the Food Chain Infrastructure Assurance Advisory Group -- part of the Trusted Information Sharing Network, a government-sponsored forum which brings together the owners and operators of Australia's critical infrastructure.
The group conducted a strategic assessment of the industry, finding vulnerabilities stemming from its limited ability to identify unconventional contaminants.
"Part of our suggestion is that we need to broaden our capability and capacity to analyze unconventional contaminants," Australian Food and Grocery Council head Dick Wells, who chaired the group, told The Australian.
Australian food security on the whole was good, he said, but "we all need to lift our game a little and look at where the greatest possibility is for intervention" to improve safety.
The Australian said the panel of experts noted that so-called fresh lines -- food coming from primary producers -- were potential targets of terrorism because of the damage that would be caused to the country's export market.
"While a document of this nature cannot be made public, my advice is that the approach and initiatives outlined in this report to further protect our food supply are smart and achievable, and are built on good business sense," said Federal Attorney General Philip Ruddock.
