Nadine & Alex

[ValueChainFX]

Well, welcome to the battle ground seems like we always have our friendly opinions going on in these rooms, I look forward to you taking an active part in sharing your knowledge with us.

Could you start off a discussion in some of the areas of specialty marketing, and argi-terrorist protection measures that we should be looking at especially as they align themselves with on the farm HACCP's?

Again welcome

[alexoderkirk]

Thanks for the welcome, and I look forward to being part of the discissions.

On specialty marketing, could you give me more info on what you are particularly interested in: the product, niche marketing, advertising, contacts, etc.?

HACCP programs or Quality Assurance Programs on farm have been fairly well accepted by the poultry and pork industries. Any resistance by producrs will soon disappear as customers and processors require some type of on-farm program. These type of programs are really only part of a trace back system that identifies and recorded inputs into the product being produced. Usually with animals it is related to source of chick, medications, etc. that is required. This helps when problems arise to identify areas that need to be checked out.

Protecting the product produced on-farm from outside contamination falls under the biosecurity measures a farm has implemented. Usually biosecurity is implemented as a health protection measure to keep people away from their animals, and thereby eliminating any chance of unwittingly carrying disease into the production unit. This works very well for farm security where farms are kept isolated from the public with absolutely no visitors except for known service people.
BUT as we all know, this goes out the window if someone really wants to get into a barn. The other area to remember is that animal agriculture is just that, and anything that will harm people will definitely harm the live animal being raised. Problems on farms where animals react to some type of contamination can be quickly noticed and product kept off the market. Measures therefore would seem more needed on the product in the processing and retail end of things. The "Turkey Scares" around Thanksgiving a few years ago in BC testifies to this. Also I've just read an Associated Press article by Philip Brasher an Associated Press farm writer titled "Food Supply Vulnerable to Attack" who mentions only one reported case of this kind of activity. [URL="http://library.northernlight.com/EA20011011570000018.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc"]Click here to read the article.[/URL] <br>

Thanks again for the welcome and I look forward to continuing discussions and any other thoughts people may have on this subject.

Alex