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applegrove

(130,238 posts) Thu Jun 5, 2025, 10:02 AM Jun 2025

AGROTERRORISM Chinese Couple Arrested for Smuggling Crop-Destroying Fungus Into U.S.

AGROTERRORISM Chinese Couple Arrested for Smuggling Crop-Destroying Fungus Into U.S.

Daily Beast Cheat Sheet email

A Chinese scientist working at the University of Michigan has been arrested for allegedly smuggling a dangerous crop-killing fungus into the U.S. Yunqing Jian, 33, is accused of illegally importing Fusarium graminearum, a potent pathogen that devastates crops like wheat, corn, and rice. The fungus is known to cause Fusarium head blight, a disease that not only destroys yields but also contaminates food supplies with toxins harmful to humans and animals. According to FBI Director Kash Patel, Jian is believed to have been working under the direction of the Chinese Communist Party and received state funding for similar research in China. Her boyfriend, Zunyong Liu, 34, also faces charges after allegedly smuggling the same fungus through Detroit Metro Airport to study at the same university, in July last year. Liu initially denied any wrongdoing before reportedly admitting to the smuggling. Both are charged with conspiracy, smuggling, false statements, and visa fraud. Liu is believed to be in China. “This is a sobering reminder that the CCP is working around the clock to deploy operatives and researchers to infiltrate American institutions and target our food supply,” Patel said. “The risks to lives and the economy are real.”

Applegrove: um maybe the defense homeland security should take a look at this instead of trying to deport undocumented people who pay taxes and help the economy.

7 replies

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AGROTERRORISM Chinese Couple Arrested for Smuggling Crop-Destroying Fungus Into U.S. (Original Post) applegrove Jun 2025 OP

"According to FBI Director Kash Patel..." Cirsium Jun 2025 #1

Completely agree. The fact that they are associated with a university -- plausible it's for scientific reasons lostnfound Jun 2025 #3

China exports a lot of food to America MagickMuffin Jun 2025 #2

Thats Overstated ProfessorGAC Jun 2025 #4

Destroy them .... Make them EAT. THE. FUNGUS Trueblue1968 Jun 2025 #5

I'm not yet convinced. They may just be idiots. hunter Jun 2025 #6

Not really a "dangerous pathogen" Cirsium Jun 2025 #7

Cirsium

(3,361 posts)

1. "According to FBI Director Kash Patel..."

Reply to applegrove (Original post)

Thu Jun 5, 2025, 11:31 AM

Jun 2025

I hope I am not the only one skeptical about this.

There would be no need to bring this fungus species to the US, it has long been here and probably originated here. It is US grain exports that are the likely cause of it spreading worldwide.

Who knows what the actual story is? The reporting raises more questions than answers. China! Communists! Terrorism! This, coming from the people who are shutting down research, attacking universities, antagonizing China, and whipping up racist fears.

Historically, the first outbreak of this fungus was reported in 1884 in England, followed by America, Europe, Australia, and South Africa [2,3,4]. An estimated loss of USD 3 billion throughout the 1990s was documented in North America. Since then, approximately 28 million metric tons of wheat grain has been infected, accounting for almost USD 5.6 billion [1,5]. From 2004 to 2012, the annual economic losses ranged from CAD 1 million to 9 million in Alberta, Canada (Government of Alberta, 2015).

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11053692/

The fungus labeled a "potential agroterrorism weapon" in a recent arrest touted by the Trump administration likely originated in North America and is already widely prevalent around the country, a researcher who studied the fungus for the federal government says.

F. graminearum is already widely prevalent across the U.S. in native grasses around the country as well as crops, scientists say. It spreads and thrives usually during wet weather, causing a common crop disease called Fusarium head blight or head scab, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service.

"It's extremely prevalent in North America. It likely arose in North America, so it's not like a foreign agent coming in. And it's already causing a lot of problems in U.S. agriculture," Harold Kistler, an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota, told CBS News.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fungus-agroterrorism-arrest-widely-prevalent-us-researcher/

Red scare! Yellow peril! Wuhan flu redux! They're eating the cats and dogs!

lostnfound

(17,399 posts)

3. Completely agree. The fact that they are associated with a university -- plausible it's for scientific reasons

Reply to Cirsium (Reply #1)

Thu Jun 5, 2025, 11:50 AM

Jun 2025

Kash Patel lies all the time, blaring blowhard. It’s probably an excuse they will give the base, for crop failures attributable to weather.

MagickMuffin

(18,070 posts)

2. China exports a lot of food to America

Reply to applegrove (Original post)

Thu Jun 5, 2025, 11:44 AM

Jun 2025

What’s from keeping the Chinese manufacturing of poisoning our food supply.

I buy frozen salmon wild caught and imported from China. I didn’t even realize it until I read the label.

ProfessorGAC

(75,843 posts)

4. Thats Overstated

Reply to MagickMuffin (Reply #2)

Thu Jun 5, 2025, 12:08 PM

Jun 2025

First, the US only imports about 18% (including beverages) of the food we consume.
Second, the USDA reports show China only accounting for

Trueblue1968

(19,077 posts)

5. Destroy them .... Make them EAT. THE. FUNGUS

Reply to applegrove (Original post)

Thu Jun 5, 2025, 12:39 PM

Jun 2025

hunter

(40,367 posts)

6. I'm not yet convinced. They may just be idiots.

Reply to applegrove (Original post)

Thu Jun 5, 2025, 12:43 PM

Jun 2025

People who work with dangerous pathogens every day, dangerous *anything* in practice, sometimes become complacent.

Yes, it's possible to be a PhD researcher brilliant in many ways and still be an idiot in others.

I don't know anything about this couple but I do know the right wing is still raging on about the Yellow Peril as they have since the California Gold Rush.

Cirsium

(3,361 posts)

7. Not really a "dangerous pathogen"

Reply to hunter (Reply #6)

Thu Jun 5, 2025, 01:14 PM

Jun 2025

Relatively speaking, it is not really a "dangerous pathogen." It is a naturally occurring fungus, probably originally from North America. There have been enormous crop losses from it over the years, and there has been a lot of ongoing research about it. As is the case with so many ag problems, industrial agriculture practices are most likely implicated in this becoming a serious problem. I am not sure how anyone could turn it into a bio-weapon or use it for agro-terrorism.

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