Dateline: July 20, 2006
FSA releases guide to enhance farm security
The U.S. Department
of Agriculture has released a new guide to help agricultural producers
enhance security at the farm level, announced Bruce Ferguson, County
Executive Director for the Donley County Farm Service Agency (FSA).
“There is no
one-size-fits-all approach to protecting agriculture, but the
‘Pre-Harvest Security Guidelines and Checklist 2006’ is a guide that
addresses potential security concerns for an agricultural operation
regardless of type or size,” said Ferguson
Food and agriculture
biosecurity 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 voluntary
guidelines and checklists were developed based upon recommendations made
by producers throughout the United States. Guidelines have been developed
for general agriculture, dairy, crops, cattle and poultry security.
According to
Ferguson, this guide is the latest in a series of materials produced by
USDA to bolster food and agriculture security. USDA continues to work
closely with its federal, state, and local government partners as well as
industry stakeholders to develop sector-wide guidelines. For instance,
guidance has been issued by USDA for food processors and distributors, and
for agricultural transporters in coordination with the trucking industry.
Agriculture and food
account for 13 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product, 18 percent of
its employment, and $140 billion in revenue.
USDA continues to
work with its federal, state, local partners as well as industry in
protecting the nation’s agriculture and food production from threats
such as natural disasters and either the naturally occurring, intentional;
or unintentional introduction of diseases and pathogens as they
do not respect geographic borders. The interconnected global food system
contributes to our nation’s economic strength by improving production
and marketing efficiency and providing timely responses to consumer needs.