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Three leading U.S. agricultural organizations have joined forces to further strengthen food and feed defense, while at the same time keeping an eye toward representing the best interests of the feed and grain industry.
The new joint committee on agroterrorism prevention and facility security was created by the National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA), North American Export Grain Association (NAEGA) and Grain Elevator and Processing Society (GEAPS) earlier this summer. The 15-member committee consists of top industry experts from each of the three organizations, and will be chaired by Jerry Cotter, director of operations at the Port of Corpus Christi (Texas) Authority.
"This new committee reflects the strong, continuing commitment of each of our organizations to proactively contribute to the further hardening of the U.S. agricultural system against threats to food and feed security," says Randall Gordon, vice-president, communications and government relations, NGFA and manager of the joint committee's communications. "Our organizations have been at the forefront of the feed and grain industry's response to the 9/11 tragedy by partnering with our respective memberships to identify and implement security strategies which best serve our industry.
"This new committee is an unparalleled effort to bring together top industry talent who can provide the expertise and unique perspectives to address security-related issues in the years to come," Gordon adds.
Answering the call
Underscoring the importance of this committee's mission and the willingness of the industry to carry it out is the fact that when NGFA, NAEGA and GEAPS extended the invitations to its targeted group of 15 industry stakeholders, all of them accepted the opportunity to serve.
"It's a testament to their dedication to the industry that each and every one of them welcomed the opportunity to serve," Gordon said. "Their expertise and talent will give us a great start in fulfilling the far-reaching and expansive mission the NGFA Board of Directors envisions for this body."
Although each of the three founding organizations have had committees and other bodies involved in addressing agroterrorism, biosecurity and facility security issues, bringing these functions into a single committee will help provide increased focus and further strengthen the industry's ability to respond effectively to critical security-related issues for years to come.
"This is a classic case where one plus one makes three," says W. Jerry Cotter, committee chair and director of operations, Port of Corpus Christi Authority. "Combining the talent of experts from all three organizations — feed manufacturers, grain exporters, country elevators, millers, grain processors and grain operations personnel — will help us provide consensus input to Congress and government agencies on security-related legislation and policies.
"It also will serve us well as we maintain and update existing NGFA/GEAPS facility security guidance for these industry sectors based upon new learnings."
Cotter's near-term goal is to further define the committee's specific roles, responsibilities and goals at its first meeting, slated for Washington, D.C. in early August. The outcomes of the meeting will likely become the operating framework for the 15-person committee.
The mission
At the core of its mission, the Agroterrorism-Prevention and Facility Security Committee will have overarching responsibility for the NGFA, GEAPS and NAEGA in addressing several key areas of industry importance.
Legislative and Regulatory: Respond to government legislative and regulatory proposals, as well as guidance documents, concerning agroterrorism prevention and facility security matters. Such issues include the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) development and implementation of the National Infrastructure Protection Plan, chemical facility security rules and transportation worker identification credentials; the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) regulations and activities emanating from the Bioterrorism Act; regulations issued by the U.S. Coast Guard for port and waterborne transportation security; and homeland security-related initiatives underway at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Industry Best Practices: Develop new and update existing NGFA/GEAPS industry guidance and best practices to enhance facility and product security. In this capacity, the new committee will serve as a "go-to" resource for the grain, feed, grain processing and export industry on potential vulnerabilities — real and perceived. It also will be a mechanism for addressing inquiries concerning agroterrorism prevention and effective countermeasures to protect and secure the nation's supply of grains, oilseeds, feed and grain products. In this capacity, the new committee also will advise the NGFA and GEAPS on future Operations, Management and Technology Seminar program topics addressing agroterrorism prevention, facility security and regulatory compliance.
"One of our primary objectives is to determine real vs. perceived risks and address those that warrant attention," adds Cotter. "Working together with the USDA, FDA, the FBI and DHS brings assessment skills that help us determine key risk factors. It also will enable us to provide input to government on the best use of available research funds to address topics truly meaningful to U.S. agriculture."
Government/industry initiatives: The committee will monitor the activities of the joint government-industry Food and Ag Sector Security Coordinating Council, on which the NGFA serves. This body provides for joint government-industry collaboration on policy, communications and research needs to enhance food and feed security. In addition, the committee will provide a pool of top industry talent to participate in the joint government-industry Strategic Partnership Protection Agroterrorism (SPPA) initiative that uses a science- and risk-based analytical approach to assess the vulnerability of various industry sectors.
Earlier this summer, the NGFA partnered with FDA, DHS, USDA and the FBI in sponsoring two such SPPA vulnerability assessments — at a commercial feed manufacturer and a country elevator. A similar exercise was conducted at an export grain elevator in December 2005.
Facility Security Website: Oversee and update, as appropriate the existing NGFA/GEAPS Facility Security Website portal that contains valuable information on industry-best practices, government regulatory requirements and regulatory compliance guidance.
Interaction with Other Agricultural Groups: The committee also will serve a vital role in fostering a better understanding among other plant and animal agriculture and food organizations about industry-best practices being utilized by the grain, feed, processing and export sectors to enhance food and feed security. It also will interact with organizations, such as the North American Millers Association and National Oilseed Processors, which also have established committees focusing on facility security and agroterrorism.
Gordon adds that the committee will work closely with livestock and poultry organizations to develop business continuity plans to respond to potential animal or plant disease outbreaks, such as foot-and-mouth disease.
"The bottom line is our industry needed the central focus and involvement of top industry experts that this committee can provide to proactively lead the industry's security efforts," says Gordon. "Unfortunately, the environment in which our industry — indeed our country — operates forever changed with 9/11. This industry plays an indispensable role as part of the food and feed chain in providing safe and abundant products for U.S. and world consumers. It's in our best interest to play our part in developing cost-effective, practical approaches to further enhance food and feed defense in the years ahead."