Homeland Security Designation
NASDA urges the USDA and DHS to swiftly re-evaluate the pathogens currently on the Select Agents List. NASDA strongly urges the evaluation to disregard pathogens that are predicted to naturally spread to the United States, as rust is a prime example of a pathogen with no control mechanism to stop the airborne spread.
This Select Agent designation highlights soybean rust in an unnecessarily negative manner. Soybean rust should be treated as any other normal quarantinable pest that could enter the country at any time. As long as soybean rust is labeled a Select Agent, we raise the risk that trading partners could use rust as reason to block imports of U.S. soybeans.