07/18/06 Security Guidlines for US Food

Security Guidelines for U.S. Food Supply. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture. Food and agriculture bio-security is an important component of USDA`s mission. Improving awareness through enhanced outreach and communications is a key element of USDA`s homeland security efforts. The U.S. Department of Agriculture today released a guide entitled "Pre-Harvest Security Guidelines and Checklist 2006" to help agricultural producers enhance security at the farm level. These practical measures help to protect against natural disasters, as well as the unintentional or intentional introduction of plant or animal diseases. Jeremy Stump, acting deputy under-secretary for marketing and regulatory programs says this has been a team effort. STUMP: We have been working very closely with different producer organizations as well as on the livestock side. We've also had sent out previously some guidance and a checklist to the food industry as well as the Ag transportation industry and thought it would be very important to have for farmers and ranchers an opportunity to view what our guidance would be as far as having a security plan as well as just a walk through checklist of what they can do to improve security on farm or at their facility. Stump also commented that the USDA perceived this as a very real threat. STUMP: We're working with, not only every aspect of the Federal government out here but also with our state and local and private sector partners as we look at it with agriculture and food accounting for 13 percent of our U.S. Gross Domestic Products as well as 18 percent of our employment, 140 billion dollars of revenue; those are great numbers but unfortunately that's also something when you look at critical infrastructures that you think an enemy, a bad guy may view as a target and we're very conscious of that. We hope nothing ever happens. We hope this is just an effort to improve upon the security at their farm, but we want to be prepared and we want everyone else to be prepared. This guide is the latest in a series of materials produced by USDA to bolster food and agriculture security. Stump says the first and foremost precaution is to be aware. STUMP: I think it's reiterating what folks are already doing as far as walking the perimeter of their fields, pastures looking for signs of suspicious activity. Looking at their own crops. Making sure that there's nothing, no nuance there, disease what-have-you, that is of significant concern and reporting back through if they do find something through a local law enforecement. That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.