OHIO
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
OFFICE
OF COMMUNICATIONS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 21, 2003
Contact: Mark Anthony, ODA Communications, 614-752-9817
REYNOLDSBURG – Ohio
Agriculture Director Fred L. Dailey today reminded Ohio farmers, food
processors, and other agribusinesses to enhance their security following the
upgrade Tuesday of the federal and state terrorism threat level to high, or
“orange.” There has been no reported threat against agriculture or the food
supply, although both could be vulnerable to sabotage by terrorists.
The department is instructing
its field staff to be alert for unusual incidents or signs as they inspect
feedlots, food processors and warehouses, meat and poultry processing plants,
and other agribusinesses the department routinely scrutinizes. Dailey said that
although his department is working with other agencies at the federal, state,
and local levels, the agriculture and food industry needs to take added
precautions on its own.
“We need to work together to
protect our food supply,” Dailey said.
Dailey urged citizens to call
the department toll-free at 1-800-300-9755 if they see signs of suspicious
illness in animals, or call 1-800-282-1955 toll-free if they are suspicious of
food tampering. He also asked that agricultural producers and processors take
additional precautions to guard their premises and products against harm. His
recommendations include:
· Producers and processors should take physical security measures such as inspecting all visitor vehicles and escorting all visitors to their facilities.
· Livestock and poultry producers should keep unauthorized visitors out of animal production facilities to help prevent the spread of animal diseases, whether there is a disease threat or not. Authorized persons should be required to wear protective clothing and shoes before entering a facility.
· Livestock and poultry producers and veterinarians should be alert for signs of infectious foreign animal diseases, check their animals daily for symptoms, and report suspicious symptoms to ODA by calling 1-800-300-9755 toll-free.
· Fertilizer dealers should report suspicious purchases of or attempts to purchase ammonium nitrate or urea to the FBI. Fertilizer and pesticide dealers should keep these goods well secured and inventoried.
·
All agribusinesses and food establishments should conduct background
checks on employees, pay close attention to product inventories and shipments,
and report all suspicious activities, vehicles, or persons around their
property.
Dailey said the state
agriculture department has undertaken a number of long-range measures since
September 2001 to better safeguard the state’s agriculture industry and food
supply against possible terrorist attack, including:
· Training emergency first-responders in farm biosecurity and disinfection measures.
· Increasing plant and animal disease surveillance using new federal homeland security funding.
· Consulting personally with food processors and distributors on how to upgrade premise security.
· Joining the FDA’s national network of food safety laboratories to help respond to agriterrorism threats.
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For more information on
agriculture biosecurity and agriterrorism preparedness, link to these Internet
sites:
Ohio Department of Agriculture