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Kansas focused on protecting America's dinner tableWith its deep agriculture heritage, Kansas has long understood the critical importance of food safety. Our livestock producers, local law enforcement professionals, state government officials, and others are ever vigilant to ensure that America's dinner table is never compromised. An announcement last week by U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts reinforces Kansas' national leadership in animal health--and demonstrates the forward-looking, proactive approach we are taking to prevent agroterrorism. The Ford County Sheriff's Office, whose jurisdiction includes Dodge City, has been awarded a federal grant of more than a quarter of a million dollars to strengthen terrorism prevention activities and response capabilities in Kansas. This will allow our already strong emergency preparedness to become even stronger as we devote additional funding and attention to potential criminal activity threatening agriculture. Indeed, the threat is very real. Foreign animal diseases, which could be intentionally brought into the U.S. to attack the food supply, have the potential to affect livestock and wildlife, resulting in serious economic consequences. Around-the-clock preparedness is required to prevent such an event. Kansas is, and intends to remain, a national model in preparedness for any threat to our agriculture. The Kansas Animal Health Department (KAHD) leads the state's foreign animal disease control efforts. To monitor and control the spread of foreign animal disease, the agency regulates public livestock markets, feedlots, disposal plants and trucks, and livestock dealers. All livestock sold at a public livestock market are inspected for infectious diseases. Field staff also investigates any suspicious disease or ailment reported by private practitioners. Quarantines are imposed on livestock being imported from areas of high disease and are retested to insure that Kansas does not import disease. Perhaps more importantly, KAHD has developed, implemented, and practiced a foreign animal disease emergency plan and is constantly improving upon that plan through cooperative emergency planning and exercises with Kansas counties, agencies, producer groups, and private entities that would be involved in a response. It is collaboration with partners such as the Ford County Sheriff's Office that is vital to our state's success, and the work they will do with this new federal grant will benefit all Kansans. So too will the accelerated bioscience research efforts underway in Kansas to protect the food supply and agriculture economy. Our state's selection as a finalist for the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility validates the impressive concentration of animal health expertise and industry found right here in Kansas. Further evidence of our success can be found in state-of-the-art infrastructure such as Kansas State University's Biosecurity Research Institute and in our world-renowned scientists such as eminent scholar Juergen Richt. The nation can be secure in knowing that Kansas has its eye firmly fixed on the goal of keeping our agriculture safe. Our unparalleled expertise--and deep appreciation for protecting the food supply and agriculture economy--will continue to build a record of safety, quality, and excellence that are the envy of the world. --George Teagarden, Kansas Livestock Commissioner 9/22/08 Date: 9/17/08
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