Cut Down Influenza A with Sequivity(R) IAV-S NA

Vigilance Is Key: Simple Steps to Strengthen Farm and Plant Security

A safe and abundant food supply is essential to a nation's security, and America's livestock and poultry farmers and ranchers work each day to provide milk, meat, poultry and eggs to our growing and hungry country - and the world. [Source: Animal Ag Aliance]

Unfortunately, there are some groups and individuals who would endanger lives and destroy property, claiming to protect animals or the environment. In the past, farmers, food processors, feed companies, input suppliers and others have been attacked using firebombs, nail bombs, vandalism and graffiti. Our computer systems and Internet security have been breached. Some in our industry have been attacked because they believe in the progress of biotechnology. Threats against those who speak out on behalf of our industries and our progress are all too common.

To help protect farms and food processing facilities, the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act was passed in 2006. The AETA created a federal law prohibiting individuals from participating in activities "for the purpose of damaging or interfering with the operations of an animal enterprise." The law covers conduct that "damages or causes the loss of any real or personal property" or "places a person in reasonable fear" of injury or harm.

While the AETA helped establish some protection for farms and the animal protein production industry, there are still individuals today attempting to gain access to farms with intentions of either harming the facility (with vandalism, by releasing animals or through other tactics), or by damaging its reputation and the reputation of our entire industry. Increasingly, animal rights extremists target farms and processing plants with "undercover" videos - often edited to depict a certain environment and distributed to the media or on YouTube. While we know that these videos are the extreme exceptions to the high standards of animal care found in most facilities, the alarming images cause a lot of concern among consumers with little exposure to the industry.

We can and must do more to protect our farms, ranches, mills and manufacturing facilities. We must be more vigilant, more wary, more resolved to not let extremist organizations interfere with our efforts to feed this country and the world as best we can.

All operations should maintain the priority of keeping their employees safe--nothing is more important. All operations should reevaluate their physical safety and security. All operators should talk to local law enforcement and emergency services to get their best advice. All operators should sit down with their employees to make sure they understand the company's priority on employee safety and facility biosecurity. Large commercial operations should invest in a professional plan to maintain or enhance the security of their facilities and the safety of their employees. Smaller operations can also do good, sound planning and relationship building within their communities.

The Animal Agriculture Alliance recommends some very basic steps to help maintain security at your facility. These recommendations are not a guarantee of safety, nor are they comprehensive to all farm, ranch or company operations, but they can give a good start to developing an overall security plan to help ensure the safety of your family, your employees and your animals. When in doubt, consult an attorney familiar with your unique situation and local laws.

View the Animal Agriculture Alliance's recommended security steps here.