§ Tony LloydTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his US counterparts on US policy on production of anthrax.[145739]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienThere have been no recent discussions between my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and his US counterpart regarding production of anthrax.
The United States is a state party to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC). Under Article X of the convention, a state party is permitted to keep and produce quantities of bacteriological agents for peaceful purposes such as in the production of vaccines.
In 1969, President Richard Nixon put an end to the United States' offensive Biological Weapons programme.
The US has stated that it only produces small quantities of anthrax for research to develop defensive systems to detect deadly spores in the air and to decontaminate areas in the event of a biological attack.