Adopted by the APS Council on August 1999
There is continuing discussion by government agencies, the press, and scientists on the use of biological weapons, including plant pathogens, in the United States and internationally. Some professional societies have taken a position on biological weapons, e.g., the American Society of Microbiology, in 1993, developed a position on "Scientific Principles to Guide Biological Weapons Verification."
The APS provides the following position on behalf of its members.
Members of the American Phytopathological Society promote the practice of plant pathology for the welfare of the environment, plants, animals and human kind. The APS Constitution and Bylaws, Article VII, Code of Professional Conduct, adopted in 1997, supports this position.
The APS recommends increased efforts directed toward global surveillance of plant disease outbreaks as a deterrent against the use of plant pathogens as biological weapons. Of particular interest in regard to biological weapons, is the recognition of an unusual disease outbreak.
