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Food producers, along with a variety of state and local government agencies, took part in a “Food Vulnerability Assessment Training” course at the West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) at the end of March. The goal of the course is to assist communities and industry in deterring criminal and terrorist attacks on the food supply.
“Although it may not be something the average person gives much thought, we at the Department of Agriculture are working every day to protect West Virginia’s food supply,” said Commissioner of Agriculture Gus R. Douglass. “Besides the possibility for accidental contamination of food products, there are people out there who would intentionally adulterate food for their own purposes. We are vulnerable and we need to improve awareness of this issue among others involved in food production and public safety.”
Commissioner Douglass cited the high visibility of agriculture, the physical accessibility of farms, the concentrated nature of some agricultural industries and the potential for widespread harm as vulnerability factors. Results of an attack could include loss of consumer confidence, foreign trade restrictions, catastrophic economic harm, human illness and death.
“I hope I’m wrong, but there have been attacks on the food supply in the past, and I think more are inevitable in the future,” he said.
WVDA Threat Preparedness / Response Officer Roy McCallister said this is the first time this course has been offered to food producers, noting that government agencies still make up the majority of participants. Forty individuals from 28 separate organizations attended the training session, he said.
“The Department has hosted this training in the past, but it was offered as a three-day course. This one is a day-and-a-half long, which makes it much easier for producers to attend,” said McCallister. “We are the first state to take part in this revamped course, so we’re helping the instructors fine-tune their presentation for other states.”
The University of Tennessee’s College of Veterinary Medicine developed the course through a grant from the federal Department of Homeland Security. The course includes instruction and exercises designed to give students the ability to readily identify weaknesses in food production, processing and distribution systems and develop safeguards against potential threats.
The West Virginia Department of Agriculture protects plant, animal and human health through a variety of scientific, regulatory and consumer protection programs, as mandated by state law. The Commissioner of Agriculture is one of six statewide elected officials in West Virginia. Currently, Commissioner Gus R. Douglass is the longest-serving agriculture commissioner in the nation. For more information, visit www.wvagriculture.org.
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