The New Jersey food and agricultural complex is one of the largest industries in the state, with cash receipts totaling around $63 billion dollars. The state’s eight million residents as well as those residing on the East Coast and parts of Canada are among the primary recipients of products grown on New Jersey farms. New Jersey’s billion-dollar domestic livestock industry sells its products nationally and internationally.

Recent world events have brought to light the importance of preservation of New Jersey’s significant economic agricultural asset. For example, following reports of threats of contamination, in March 1989, FDA inspectors in Philadelphia found grapes with puncture marks in a shipment that arrived from Chile. Two of the grapes tested were found to contain low levels of cyanide. The FDA impounded 2 million crates of fruit at ports across the USA. Consumers were warned not to eat any fruit from Chile. Chilean fruits were pulled from supermarket shelves, and consumer confidence in the safety of the food supply was compromised. The embargo severely damaged the Chilean economy, resulting in $400 million in losses.

In late December the $3.2 billion beef export market was closed to US beef producers as the result of one dairy cow diagnosed with Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (mad cow disease) in Washington State. Established tracking (food traceability) protocols instituted by both the United States and Canada helped to quickly identify the originating farm for the infected cow, other animals that traveled with it, their final destinations, and the destination of the processed meat, but consumer confidence still suffered.

This Washington state incident comes on the heels of other international outbreaks of mad cow disease, Foot and Mouth disease, and the national re-emergence of West Nile virus. These events, combined with the recent threats of Anthrax and other forms of bioterrorism have prompted legislative directives to provide protection for and improve the traceability of livestock and all other farm products in our state.

Demands to protect these industries continue to rise in light of expansion into world markets, the presence of food borne pathogens such as E.coli and Salmonella, and significant diseases, such as Johne’s disease, that impact and challenge overall animal management and their environment.

The Secretary of Agriculture is an official invited member of the state’s domestic security preparedness taskforce. This appointment opens the door for addressing the needs of all agricultural production during emergency situations including outbreaks of disease. Fruit and vegetable as well as food animal producers raising any and all species of livestock in New Jersey must become educated, now more than ever, on farm biosecurity, animal health, food safety, and emergency preparedness for possible outbreaks of disease and contamination.

In addition to the development of external protocols, the Department has worked hard on developing a series of best management practices to advise the farm community on livestock protection and general disaster preparedness so that farmers themselves can take proactive measures to protect their operations and by that their livelihoods. Many of these steps place greater emphasis on standard operating procedures for the farm, while others are new or innovative strategies designed to maintain farm safety and security.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the delegates to the 89th State Agricultural Convention, assembled in Long Branch, New Jersey on February 3, 2004, in order to keep New Jersey's agricultural products safe, industry competitive, its natural resources diverse, and consumer confidence high call upon the agricultural community to embrace these best management practices, and incorporate the procedures into their farming practices to help prevent accidental disease introduction and reduce the risk of becoming a target for terrorist activities.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the delegates urge that farming operations and livestock owners and producers across New Jersey implement the endorsed best management practices appropriate to their farm operation.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we support the continued development of the updated animal emergency working group, an inter-agency team of animal professionals including state veterinarians, Office of Emergency Management officials, local animal control officers, and others, charged with developing standards to address the needs of animal owners during a state of emergency.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we support Cook College in its consortia application with Pennsylvania State University, Washington State University and University of Maryland to the US Department of Homeland Security to be designated as a national Homeland Security Center for Post Harvest Food Protection and Defense. The Center will be responsible for conducting developmental and demonstration research that will enhance the nation's ability to prevent, detect, respond to and recover from terrorist attacks that intentionally contaminate the nation's food supply.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, we support all Livestock and Poultry Food Safety Initiatives originating from and developed by the partnership of the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, Rutgers Cooperative Extension and the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, including but not limited to, the New Jersey Cattle Health Assurance Program and the New Jersey Sheep and Goat Health Assurance Program; as well as continued support for inclusion and participation in the Mid-Atlantic Beef Quality Assurance Program, Shellfish Producers Quality Assurance Program, Regional Dairy Quality Management Alliance and National Pork Producers Quality Assurance Program.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we support the Departments of Agriculture and Health and Senior Services collaborative work through third party audits and other certifications to assure food safety and quality beginning at the farm level.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, we support the initiative of the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, in cooperation with the Walton Center for Remote Sensing and Spatial Analysis, to develop, support, oversee and own a GIS database for the purpose of protecting New Jersey’s livestock and poultry industry in the face of a natural or man-made disaster.