The U.S. Department of Agriculture last week released a new voluntary security guidance document for truck transporters of agricultural and food products.
The guidelines were developed jointly by the agency and the Agricultural and Food Transporters’ Conference of the American Trucking Associations to enhance homeland secutiry.
As part of the partnership, the ATA undertook a major survey of 24,000 commercial food and agriculture transporters on their concerns regarding security, terrorism, and where and how to get information. The survey results helped in the development of the guide and informed the identification of additional security options aimed at enhancing protections already in practice across the industry to safeguard people, property, products, processes, information, and information systems.
The guide follows the same approach as other guidance offered by USDA for food producers, processors and providers. All are consistent with and in support of Homeland Security Presidential Directive-9, Defense of United States Agriculture and Food and are available at www.usda.gov/homelandsecurity/homeland.html.
The ATA website offers information for acquiring the guide in print or on CD-Rom at www.truckline.com/cc/conferences/atc.