Security

It is just smart practice to pre-screen new employees. Ask employees to report unusual behavior, such as another employee lurking around areas where feed or agricultural chemicals are stored. New employees should not be allowed to operate alone in sensitive areas.

• Require all applicants to completely fill out a written job application, including references from all previous employment.
• Straightforward questions should be asked, such as: Has the applicant ever changed his or her name? Is he/she currently working for an organization that is paying the applicant to collect information about your farm?
• Does the applicant intend to use any equipment that can collect audio, video, or still photographs? (Establish a policy that either prohibits their use or requires that all such tools be declared upon being hired and that they cannot be used without prior consent.)
• Require that these questions be answered in writing, and ensure the application is signed.
• Conduct thorough background checks on all prospective employees (seasonal, temporary, contract, and volunteers) to verify previous employment references, addresses, telephone numbers, qualifications, and employee demeanor. You will need to check state and federal regulations before performing vehicle or criminal background checks. Find out from previous employers if their previous experience was undercover or legitimate.
• Check immigration status with the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service.
• Have a written security policy to show prospective employees. ○ Obtain permission to perform drug and alcohol testing prior to and during employment.
• Require that all new hires sign an animal care agreement. Train all employees in animal handling and specify that any employee who observes or receives information about animal mistreatment must immediately report that information to a supervisor. Abuse of animals is cause for dismissal and potential criminal charges.
• Have new employees sign and date a written security/biosecurity policy in the presence of a witness. Have a probationary period of 30 to 90 days.

• Start all new employees on a day shift.
• Provide all new employees with direct supervision.
• Have a zero tolerance policy for workplace violence and animal abuse. Employees are required to promptly report such incidents.
• Train employees on how to periodically conduct random security checks along the perimeter of all fields and pastures for signs of suspicious activity or unauthorized entry.
• Train employees how to report any suspicious activity or any unauthorized personnel on or near the facility to designated contact or backup contact people. Post telephone numbers by each telephone for on-farm contacts and emergency contacts (fire department and law enforcement).
• Train employees that part of their daily job responsibility is to be alert for signs of possible tampering with crops, livestock, supplies, equipment, and facilities.
• Train employees and family members to watch for sick animals, including wildlife, especially birds, or unusual changes in the appearance of crops.
• Tell employees they can’t bring smoked or uncooked pork products into the farm.

• Appropriately supervise employees at all levels, especially new hires.
• Make employees aware of who belongs on the farm and who doesn’t.
• Use time clocks to monitor employee arrival and departure times.
• Require employees to notify management if they will be arriving early or staying late.
• Require employees to notify management if they are leaving the premises at an abnormal time.
• Restrict personal items allowed on the farm.
• Notify employees that contents of lockers, bags, and vehicles can be inspected when on farm property for safety and security reasons.
• Notify employees that taking or removing farm property from work is theft.
• Delegating specific responsibilities to key employees without overlap also prevents theft. For example, only a specified employee should have access to certain medications, the tool room, farm vehicle keys, etc.
• Monitor employees for suspicious activities:

• • staying unusually late after work,
  • arriving unusually early,
  • accessing or attempting to access files, information, or areas of the farm outside their area of responsibility,
  • removing documents from the facility,
  • asking questions about sensitive subjects,
  • bringing cameras or cell phones to work,
  • not wearing clothing provided by the farm,
  • wearing personal belts and using personal pens,
  • signs of tampering with equipment or facilities,
  • suspicious materials or devices, and misplaced equipment.

Deterring access to your facility is the first step in making sure unwanted guests don’t visit. Keeping gates and buildings locked will also deter unwanted access. Measures to prevent incursions should include posting biosecurity rules and enforcing them, monitoring and documenting all visits and visitors, and limiting access to livestock and crops. It’s a good idea to not allow anyone who has been on a farm in a foreign country to enter livestock units for the first seven days after return to the United States. The foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) virus can be harbored in the nose and throat of humans for three or four days after being around heavily infected animals. People don’t get sick from FMD, so the virus will be carried passively within the human, even though it isn’t replicating. But just one big sneeze in the vicinity of livestock could dislodge some of those viral particles and start an outbreak.

• Have only one (clearly marked) entryway for use by visitors.
• Designate a specific area for visitor parking, and post signs to inform all visitors of the rules.
• Require all visitors who do not provide a regular, known service to the farm to check in with a designated farm representative.
• Have a separate policy for essential visitors such as consultants, service people, and health professionals that are both (1) known to you, and (2) have visited the farm on a regular basis, and understand and respect the biosecurity protocols.
• Maintain a record of non-service visitor names, companies, arrival times, departure times, and purpose of the visits. Have unknown, non-service adult visitors provide an authorized, valid reason for entry and proof of identity (valid driver’s license).
• Develop a system that easily identifies visitors. Explain disease prevention procedure to visitors.
• Do not allow unknown individuals, including delivery personnel, drivers, customers, government officials, reporters, sales people, contract providers, service support, and others, to have unlimited access to the premises such as:

• • storage areas for gasoline, fertilizer, and pesticides,
  • locker rooms,
  • computer areas,
  • or areas where keys are kept.

• Clearly mark these areas with a “No Visitors without Escort” sign.
• Non-service visitors are escorted at all times.

It is obvious that vehicles can transport disease agents across hundreds or even thousands of miles.

A good example of how a vehicle disseminated disease in an outbreak happened during the foot-and-mouth disease crisis in the U.K. in 1967. As milk tanker trucks were driving along the road between ranches and down highways, drops of milk leaked out. The virus in the drops of milk aerosolized and infected cattle all along the way.

Feed and equipment deliveries, and animal delivery and collection ports are important potential sites where diseases can be introduced or spread. These delivery and dispatch sites are called contact points. Contact points should be located in an area that is separated from animals on the farm, preferably outside the farm’s restricted access area.

For instance, trucks can unload their deliveries outside a perimeter, and the facility’s own personnel and equipment can bring the items in. This can be considered almost like having a mini-version of a border-crossing station.

Vehicles should be parked on a concrete section of road rather than on a field or on soil. Many pathogens survive very well in soil, and this soil could then be transported to another facility on the tires.

It is advisable to purchase feed and supplies from known, reputable firms and individuals, and to keep a detailed record of all purchases. On the farm, feed and other supplies for livestock and poultry should be kept secure to avoid any tampering.

Allowing any human food products to be brought onto production premises for livestock, dairy, or poultry is always a risk. The last outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in North America occurred in 1952 in Saskatchewan, Canada, because of a German sausage brought onto a hog farm. And, some say that a classical swine fever outbreak in the United Kingdom in 2000 began when a hiker discarded a ham sandwich on a footpath.

People who organize events involving animals need to take steps to guard their premises from deliberate or accidental disease transmission. At livestock shows and auctions, there should be surveillance of suspicious visitors or activities.

It is important to take steps to prevent unauthorized people from tampering with air transfer equipment such as air conditioners, heat exchangers and forced air heaters.

Pesticides and fertilizer are just two types of compounds that might be stored in bulk and applied to animals or plants, in routine agricultural practices. Unfortunately, there are some serious risks associated with purchasing and using these materials.

Accidental or intentional application of a toxic chemical in certain situations could result in poisoning of feed and crops, or contamination of meat from animals consuming the tainted feed. Some common fertilizers can be used to make rudimentary explosive devices.

Safety and security surrounding the storage, maintenance and application of agricultural chemicals is very important. The following is a list of fundamental security control measures to protect chemicals, fertilizers and other biohazards from tampering or theft.

• Secure buildings, storage areas, and surrounding property. Prevent intrusion with adequate fencing, lighting, and locks. If needed, add intrusion detection alarms, cameras, and trained guards.
• Secure pesticide application equipment and vehicles.
• Aerial Application Equipment: Security awareness is particularly important for largescale pesticide application equipment like aircraft and large trucks. The FBI requests special vigilance on aerial applicators.
• Use effective hiring and labor relations policies to obtain and retain good employees who will support and follow safety precautions. Pesticide handlers must have requisite training.
• Use inventory management policies to limit the amount of potentially hazardous pesticides stored on site to reduce the risks of accidental or intentional release or theft.
• Establish effective advance emergency response procedures. Maintain a liaison with your local police and fire department so you can all act quickly and safely in the event of an emergency.
• Establish security plans to include vandalism, bomb threats, and potential terrorist activity as well as accidents.
• Be aware of suspicious activity.
• Contact local police and the FBI if there are threats or suspicious behavior.
• Identify and post a list of hazards. Deliver your list of hazards to local emergency responders to keep on file.
• Identify the type of breathing equipment that may be required for protection from your dangerous or deadly chemicals.
• Identify where Class C biohazard suits would be required to deal with certain chemicals in case of an accident or fire.