animalagriculture.org

Animal Production Food Safety & Security Committee
April 7, 2004

Activities report

The committee met at the annual NIAA meeting in April 2004 in Salt Lake City, UT.  Dr. Harry Snelson chaired the committee meeting in Dr. Jerry Gillespie’s absence.  The committee reviewed existing resolutions drafted in previous meetings and discussed the need for additional resolutions.  It was agreed to drop 1 resolution, amend one, and reaffirm six.  In addition, the committee title and objective were amended to better conform to the enhanced importance of accentuating the need for security in animal agriculture.

The following presentations were given:

Dr. David Pyburn (USDA, APHIS, VS) – Update on Trichinae Certification program for the swine industry.

Col. John Hoffman (DHS) – Discussing Homeland Security Presidential Directive 9 and the development of DHS Agro-terrorism centers.

Dr. William Hueston (University of Minnesota, CVM) – Discussing DHS Agro-terrorism centers at US universities.  He also led a discussion of food safety and security priorities.

A number of suggestions were made for future activities for the committee and direction for NIAA relative to food safety and security.  Dr. Hueston captured these suggestions and will provide the recommendations in an addendum to this report.

2004 Objectives

The committee would like to pursue the following topics for discussion:

• Pursue funding for the publication of the NIAA Food Safety Digest

• Further delineate ways to improve communication between and within the production animal sectors

• Follow up on progress at the Federal level on food safety/security initiatives

• Follow up on action taken in response to food safety/security NIAA resolutions

• Follow up on food safety/security education initiative by Will Hueston

• Follow up on the progress being made by the various food safety/security institutions/centers and efforts to combine their efforts by Will Hueston

There was an expressed desire for the Committee to be pro-active, with continued activity between annual meetings.  For example, there was a need to follow up on issues such as progress on on-farm quality assurance programs (certification updates).

Similarly, there is a need to encourage discussions across all segments of the industry (animal and plant foods, federal and state, private and public, all segments of production agriculture with all other segments) as it relates to food safety/security issues.  There needs to be follow up on these issues between meetings that translates to steps to improve “real communication.”