USDA Releases Voluntary Security Guide for Commercial Agricultural and Food Transporters
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced the release of a new guide aimed at helping the commercial agricultural transportation industry protect people, property, products, processes, information, and information systems by enhancing security, including security against a potential terrorist attack.
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This guide, which is the result of a voluntary cooperative effort of the USDA and the Agricultural and Food Transporters Conference (AFTC) of the American Trucking Associations (ATA), is entitled the USDA/AFTCGuide for Security Practices in Transporting Agricultural and Food Commodities. It provides voluntary security measures that commercial agricultural and food transporters may use to assist trucking companies and their drivers in protecting their facilities and vehicles.
(According to the USDA, the results of a survey of 24,000 commercial food and agriculture transporters on their concerns regarding security, terrorism, and where and how to get information, helped in the development of this guide.)
The USDA states that this guide is designed to enhance security measures practiced by the U.S.' approximately 27,000 commercial transporters of agricultural and food-related products across the nation each year, noting that trucking is the common denominator that moves diverse materials such as food, fertilizers, livestock, fresh and frozen produce, building materials, and farming equipment.
Guide Includes General Guidelines for Drivers and Trucking Companies
In addition to an introduction, this guide contains general guidelines for drivers that may be voluntarily utilized to prevent contamination or disruption during the transportation of agricultural and food commodities. These guidelines include security watchwords, as well as driver security checklists to be retained with drivers in their vehicles.
This guide also contains general guidelines for companies which include security watchwords, security tips for commercial agricultural and food transporters, advance planning for emergency management, security measures for truck cleaning, reporting information, and Highway Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC) information.
USDA/AFTC guide (dated October 2004) available at http://www.usda.gov/documents/NewsReleases/2004/10/AFTCSecGuideFinal9_16.pdf
USDA Release No. 0428.04 (dated 10/05/04) available at http://www.usda.gov/documents/NewsReleases/2004/10/0428.doc